Ripples of Destiny
by EliadS
Summary: Sequel to the Point of Divergence. Naruto's secrets are out in the open. With Suna's fall and Konoha's survival the ninja world stands on the brink of war. Konoha must adapt to this new reality, while the other villages and their enemies lurk in waiting
1. Prologue: Life goes On

**Disclaimer: The Naruto Franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, 'Shounen Jump' and other affiliated companies with intellectual property rights over the franchise.**

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A/N:

1) Greetings and Salutations to you, welcome to 'Ripples of Destiny', the sequel to my previous story 'The Point of Divergence'. I know it's long since overdue but real life, university work and tests have kept me preoccupied and insomnia-stricken so I hope this humble piece will be to your liking.

I will try to update as often as possible, but I can't promise anything in terms of deadlines as my senior year is very demanding and writing will happen in break breaks of lulls in work which are rare.

2) Special thanks to **DarkHeroOrion **for helping me by beta-testing this chapter and tweaking my rusty writing.

3) Just a note: the story will be shorter than the previous story and will revolve heavily around Naruto on one hand but will also scrutinize how the other ninja villages and our various villains (and Sakura) are preparing for the inevitable war on the horizon.

4) I've learned from your reviews and I will make sure there are sizable portions of Naruto in each chapter and for those who feel I didn't delve into the repercussions of the war in Konoha in Kumo, Iwa and Kiri as I said, I will eventually show the internal intrigues chapter by chapter.

In particular, note that his chapter is but the preview for things to come, so what is introduced here for the most part will be elaborated upon over time.

**Read, Review & Enjoy!**

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**Japanese Word Glossary:**

Shinigami – The Death God  
Shingappei no In - Seal of Soul Fusion  
Nami no Kuni – Wave Country  
Ta no Kuni – Rice Fields Country  
Taki no Kuni – Waterfall Country  
Takigakure – Hidden Waterfall  
Iwagakure – Hidden Rock  
Iwa - Rock  
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf  
Konoha – Leaf  
Kaze no Kuni – Wind Country  
Sunagakure – Hidden Sound  
Suna – Sand  
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud  
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist  
Mizu no Kuni – Water Country  
Mizukage – Water Shadow  
Youki – Evil/Demonic Energy  
Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit  
Fuuinjutsu – Sealing Technique/s  
Godaime – The Fifth  
Yondaime – The Fourth  
Raikage – Lightning Shadow  
Hokage – Fire Shadow  
Jinchuuriki – Power of Human Sacrifice - The nickname for tailed beast containers  
Ichibi – One Tails  
Gobi – Five-Tails  
Hachibi – Eight Tails  
Kyuubi no Youko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox  
Rokubi – Six Tails

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**(One month since the invasion of Konoha and the Destruction of Suna)**

Kirabi yawned in an exaggerated fashion as he stretched against the tree trunk by which he propped himself. He loved the silence and peace of nature. Nobody bossed him around or bugged him out here. He had waited for his brother to come back from battle before he took off for some much needed vacation.

It was only fair, since the whole village was buzzing about nervously while his big brother was away and they kept on coming to him for answers and help. He was a bit more alert when his 'tenant' spoke in his mind with slight exasperation, **"Are you sure taking this vacation—now, of all times—is a good idea, Bee?"**

He stood up and dusted off his pants, stretching his arms and legs. "Sure is, Eight-o! I've had enough of forms and requests, and it's about time I got away from those pests! Ooh yeah!"

The Hachibi snorted in his mind and sighed. **"Really? How many times have I told you? I hate it when you rap when you talk with me! Keep your façades and quirks for those 'pests', you idiot!" **

He shrugged and prepared to go look for breakfast before a particular scent filled his nostrils and the sound of breathing invaded his senses. He heaved a sigh and turned to glance at the branch above him. "Yo, Darui, stop your spying! Come down here and talk before I send ya flying!"

The silver haired ninja chose to remain perched on the branch, ignoring Kirabi and slightly glared at him. "Kirabi-sama, why did you take off like that? Do you have any idea how upset Raikage-sama is?"

Kirabi faintly tensed, his chakra rushing through his limbs as he prepared for just about everything. Usually, his brother sent one of his disciples or sensors to collect Bee. If he sent someone as powerful as Darui, then…"Hey, don't look so glum like you're gonna cry! I always take a vacation on the fly!"

Darui leaped off the branch and landed in front of him, his eyes narrowed and cold. "You just don't understand how bad this looks, do you? The Daimyo took the Raikage's initiative very badly and leveled financial sanctions on the village. A lot of the younger ninja are still shell-shocked and scared of the necessary brutality we used to remove Sunagakure, and then, you, one of our national icons and heroes, take off in the middle of the night!"

Kirabi mulled over his words but ultimately decided he could not return just quite yet. He had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen; he kept on feeling like someone watched him when he was home. Normally, when people spied on him, it was one of two things: fan-girl or assassin, and both sounded just as bad.

"Look, I don't know what to say. I didn't think they'd act this way. But, it ain't my problem if they're yellow. I'm just a simple fellow! I did what I had to do, so I'll be back in a month or two."

Darui's body tensed as he lifted his hand, and more figures appeared around him, previously concealed by being positioned against the wind and hidden amongst the vegetation around them. "This isn't a request. This is serious. Your brother is afraid that there is dissent among the ranks, and intelligence warns us of possible terrorist acts of reprisal from former ninja of Sunagakure…"

Kirabi sighed and shook his head. "You know, tell my bro this isn't cool, and we ain't little kids who go to school. I'm no traitor I did not defect; I still love the village that I protect. But if he can't cut me some slack, I just might take my time until I come back!"

The Hachibi pleaded with him to see reason. **"C'mon, Bee. It looks like things are really bad. You know Ei will be furious if you do this. We can always take leave later…"**

Kirabi adjusted his sunglasses and suddenly leaped backwards, preparing for battle. _'I've got my reasons to pack off and go. I feel a danger will come in tow. I won't let it blow up in Ei's face. For now__,__ let him think that I'm a disgrace! 'Sides, once I'm sure my stalker's gone__,__ I'll have time to have some fun!'_

The Hachibi mumbled about being stuck with the only human more stubborn than an ox as his container prepared to fight his way out of this mess, though, as usual, it would have to make sure he didn't go overboard and injure or kill his peers.

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**(Several Hours later, ANBU holding facility, Konohagakure)**

He yawned as slowly opened his eyes, piercing green almost seeming to glow in the darkness. His hand ran through his tousled crimson hair as he sat up. The Ichibi's Jinchuuriki looked around and his lips twisted into a grin. It was liberating; this…feeling of clarity borne from sleep. He looked down up the softly glowing symbol engraved onto his torso and reverently ran his fingertips over its contours.

The complex geometric construct pulsed with a blend of youki and chakra. He had never heard of such seal work being possible, but the toad sage, Jiraiya, had barged into his cell in the middle of the night, and by the time dawn broke, his nightmarish insomnia was at long last broken. He no longer heard the high pitched sound of his tenant's voice, nor did he feel its maniacal presence crawling within his skull.

He stood up and walked over to the window of his cell, gazing into the moonlight. Tonight was the final night of his probation. He had patiently waited in captivity until the Godaime Hokage deemed him stable. That was an understatement if there was ever such a thing. He had never felt at peace…as controlled as he did during the last couple of weeks.

He wasn't expecting to truly be loyal to Konoha, but now, after they granted him such a boon, he was hard pressed not to accept being their tool or blade if they asked him to. It wasn't as if the art of murder was foreign to him; what matter was it if he served one master or another.

Though, if he was honest with himself, he doubted his new benefactors would be as satisfied with his performance as their predecessors. With the Shukaku's presence severed and partitioned from his own, he no longer had his automatic ultimate defense, nor did his sand obey him with the same ease he had become accustomed to.

His power was more similar to a kekkei genkai now; limited and flawed, but with great potential if honed. He remembered one of Yashamaru's lessons from his childhood clearly in the current situation: _"For every prize__,__ there is a price, be it hidden or be it visible_._'_

He deeply inhaled and concentrated, trying to grasp the grains of sand around him. He could feel them, almost like they were a part of his own flesh, but it wasn't as easy as flicking a finger as it had been before.

The former Suna-nin was getting better at it; however, when he first tried calling upon his gift two weeks ago, he was sorrowfully disappointed. Now, he felt somewhat able in comparison as he had learned to actively feel his chakra's drain and limits as trained by manipulating the golden mineral into a sphere and controlling its motions.

"Gaara," he heard his name from behind the door. He dispersed the sand and turned to face his visitor. He bowed slightly, giving respect where it was required as he was fully aware he was but a mouse in the face of a lion…or lioness, in this particular case.

"Godaime-sama," he greeted and took a step back as the last of the Senju stepped into his cell. The blonde's piercing brown eyes surveyed him neutrally and fairly. She turned to the door and waved her hand in a dismissive manner, and in mere moments, Gaara both heard and felt the guards leave.

Pleasantries seemed to not be on the Hokage's agenda as her voice snapped like crisp air, "Is the seal working, Gaara? Is the Shukaku dormant, even when you attempt to control the sand around you?"

He softly sighed. "I can feel it when I sleep. It keeps on trying to bypass the seal, but it can't," Gaara affirmed.

The slug summoner rubbed her chin softly. "Good," she started pacing slightly. "We weren't sure if the seal array we used on you would work with one of the Bijuu. Luckily, it would seem that since the Shukaku is the weakest of the nine, it's holding just fine."

He peered at her curiously, confused by her offhanded comment but waiting for her to either enlighten him or allow him to question her himself.

She didn't disappoint with her explication. "The ancient Uzumaki developed what they called the 'Shingappei no In'. It was until now considered a lost art, rumored to be the most efficient ways to manufacture bloodlines in the pre-village era."

Her slender digit poked at his seal, her warm skin causing his own to tingle. "Basically, your own village merged your soul with the Shukaku at birth, but never knew how to finish the process with the secondary Uzumaki seal meant to partition you from it. The application of the secondary seal consequently granted you some manifestation of its power as your DNA gradually mutates to accommodate a new 'kekkei genkai.'"

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction, realization slapping into his face with resounding force. His mind raced with the implications, and for the first time in many years, he felt a tremulous, treacherous emotion that both scared and elated him – hope.

The Hokage paid him no heed as his mind wandered and he heard her heels click as she approached the door. When she spoke his eyes snapped towards her, watching her place one hand on the door. "Your siblings are waiting outside; they will escort you to your joint home. While you are in Konoha, your former sensei, Baki, will train you along with Sarutobi Asuma. Both are now your escorts and protectors."

Gaara simply nodded. _'It's only to be expected. I am a human weapon…or monster. I shouldn't be surprised they don't trust me…' _the redhead reasoned, though logic did little to help the bitterness that welled inside him. He inhaled softly through his nose right until he blinked at the words that left his new Kage's lips and his eyes whirled to look upon Tsunade's smile.

"One last thing: we have reason to believe you may be targeted because of the Shukaku, so do listen to your sensei and guardian. I don't like losing my ninja if I can avoid it." With that, she pushed open the door, and with it, he felt his eyes sting and a bizarre twitching, clenching feeling in his chest.

She faintly smirked as she stood at the threshold. "Konoha is your home now, Gaara. Do try to make the best of it, so we don't regret trusting you and you don't regret helping us."

"Home…" he murmured, the world around him out of focus in his daze. He felt his lips tugging upwards right until he felt something collide gently against him and then warmth and something flowery invaded his nostrils.

Temari was hugging him; she was touching him and no sand hurt her. He could sleep, he had a home, and he had a family. It wasn't a dream; for the first time in his life, Sabaku no Gaara was human in every meaning of the world.

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**(In the morning, Gates of Konohagakure)**

Naruto sighed for the umpteenth time and openly yawned, popping his shoulder as he stretched. When he got promoted to chuunin, this wasn't exactly the illustrious career he envisioned for himself. He fiddled with the many pockets of his flak jacket.

He was leaning against the guard booth in which he sat, in front of the gates of Konoha and lazily watching the scenery. Apparently, there were chores even worse than D-ranked missions in a ninja's existence, and this was one of them.

For the last two weeks, he pulled a twelve hour shift every day, two three-hour training sessions with Kakashi or sparring with his peers, followed by three hours of politics, etiquette, math, literature and tactics theory with Hinata and Neji, whom picked up the slack in Iruka's stead. All in all, he spent only four to five hours of sleep in average per day.

The wash, rinse and repeat monotony almost drove the Jinchuuriki to the brink of insanity. He massaged his temple and slightly jumped when Neji's voice spoke through the microphone in his ear. "Our relief should be arriving soon, so try to look busy, Naruto. It wouldn't look well to find the last of the Uzumaki sleeping on the job…"

"I was yawning, not sleeping!" Naruto hissed and muttered something about white-eyed jackasses and their attitude. He decided to be productive and continue one of his newest hobbies – flipping through the newest edition of the bingo book.

Kakashi-sensei had ordered him to read and memorize every ninja from B-rank and above from Iwa, Kiri and Kumo in the next couple of weeks. If he was going to see C- and B-ranked missions, he needed to be prepared if unexpected enemies popped up in his path.

Naruto didn't mind much if he was honest with himself. It was rather fascinating to read about their most infamous missions and even their abilities. It really made him realize how diverse and dangerous his line of profession was, and just why Kakashi kept on pushing him so hard. Some of these ninja were frighteningly powerful.

He flipped through the pages and found his latest entry, "Let's see…Utakata: Jinchuuriki of the Rokubi. Status and village affiliation: missing-nin from Kirigakure. Blah, blah, blah…Huh? Bubble ninjutsu? What the hell?"

Naruto held back a snort before his eyes widened. "Recently devolved into a cannibalistic madness and eats his victims as well as evolving his ninjutsu to a sound based ninjutsu. Sheesh! Why are all the S-rank ninja so freaking crazy?"

He sighed and flipped to the next page and his eyes almost grew to the size of saucers. He whistled and looked more closely at the photo. He shook his head and hummed lowly, and, though he knew it wasn't very healthy for his person or useful for his village, he couldn't help but grin widely. "I'm in the badass book! I'm in the badass book!" he chanted to himself and pumped his fist.

"Hey, hey, stop shouting in my ear, Naruto!" Neji's voice cracked like a whip. "What are you babbling about anyway? Don't tell me you're actually happy about being written in the bingo book, Naruto…" he added in exasperation.

Naruto ignored the muttering confirmation that he was happy about it and spoke out loud, "Uzumaki Naruto, age thirteen to fourteen; last of the Uzumaki clan and son of the Yellow Flash. Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko; Rank: A; Bounty: three million ryou from Iwa and two million from Kumo. Additional Information: Known abilities consist of wind, water and fire ninjutsu, toad summoning, mass shadow-clone manipulation and the Yellow Flash's Rasengan ninjutsu. Noticeable feats: Assisting in the defeat of the Demon of the Mist and defeating Iwa's Heavenly Judicator!"

Neji sighed heavily in his ear and Naruto laughed lightly and ignored his muttering about blondes and stupidity. "Get this: Student of Kakashi of the Sharingan and theorized student of Jiraiya of the Sannin. Fuuinjutsu proficiency unknown, beware possible use of Hiraishin no Jutsu. Eye color may vary due to Jinchuuriki status."

"How troublesome…You know, I don't think Godaime-sama would approve of you slacking off, Naruto." A different voice startled him and he dropped his book in surprise. He glared at Shikamaru whom replied with a bemused smirk.

"I wasn't slacking off…I was…uh…preoccupied!" Naruto replied cheekily and practically shoved the bingo book into Shikamaru's face. He was so excited, he didn't mind or notice how loud or childish he sounded. "Look! Look! I'm an A-rank ninja. Ha! Shows all those bastards who said I'd never be a ninja, don't it?"

Shikamaru shook his head and flicked over his picture. "You know, you're not this buff, tall or menacing in real life. I think Iwa needs to replace their illustrators."

Naruto growled and stood up, wincing as he bumped his head on his way out of the booth. He glared at his fellow chuunin and spoke rapidly with a twitching eyebrow. "Oi! Are you calling me short? I'll have you know I've grown an inch and a half in the last six months!"

"You're still a pipsqueak, Naruto," Izumo chimed in from beside Shikamaru and his eyes crinkled happily.

Naruto mumbled under his breath before snorting. "Feh…Whatever. I don't have to be as tall to kick ass! Speaking of which, I should get going. Kakashi-sensei's been a real pain about me being late ever since I got promoted. So…if we could maybe speed things up, I'd be …really grateful."

Neji hid away a snort between a cough but smiled begrudgingly and waved him off. "It's fine, Naruto. You can go. I'll brief them."

"Thanks, Neji! I'll see you and Hinata later, then." The other three all showed various levels of amusement as Naruto broke into a sprint while waving. _'Irony is just the story of my life, isn't it? The tardiest ninja in Konoha becomes a stickler for punctuality the moment he becomes MY sensei!'_

He hopped onto the rooftop of the first building low enough and started traversing his way toward the Ichiraku Ramen Bar for lunch. But, he never reached his destination as Kakashi met him halfway there. The copy ninja was flanked by a Hyuuga he recognized from his many visits to the Hyuuga estates (but didn't know by name), Inuzuka Hana and her massive dog familar.

"Yo, Naruto!" Kakashi greeted and the other two nodded at him politely though Naruto noticed Hana was eyeing him slight disdain.

'_Well, of course people are skeptical about me. I'm a short, nearly fourteen year old A-rank. Well, I guess I'll have to show'em why I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Ninja Extraordinaire!'_

"Are you heading out for another mission, eh, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked with a sigh. He was too tired and too disappointed to remember that wishy-washy politeness. It wasn't like Kakashi-sensei minded him acting a bit more like himself around him.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, _we're_ going on a mission. I packed your gear and some rations. Yamato is off on a mission, so you're stuck with me, it would seem. I'm off on a B-rank mission to Taki no Kuni. You up for a little challenge?"

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction, but before he could grin and bask in the hype of going on his second high ranked mission, Hana interrupted with a cough. "Don't get the shrimp all riled up, Hatake-senpai. It's just a standard extraction and protection mission."

The Hyuuga clicked his tongue and eyed the kunoichi coolly and beat Naruto's angry response to the punch. He knew he was still a greenhorn, but he deserved the benefit of the doubt for crying out loud. "Inuzuka-san, please don't belittle our mission. Namikaze-san is right to show enthusiasm, though it would be best if it was tempered with caution. Our mission is not entirely standard…"

"Enough. We don't have time for this." Kakashi interrupted sharply and moved close to Naruto, whispering in his ear, "To make things short, we're meeting an asset; one of the only surviving ninja of Takigakure no Sato that was outside the hidden village during the mysterious massacre. He's agreed to show up where the fabled hero water is, in exchange for asylum, citizenship, and a hefty bonus."

Naruto nodded and Kakashi spoke crisply before taking off, "Hana, take point. Naruto and I will follow with Usagi-san here taking the rear."

Naruto followed close beside him, pushing some chakra into legs.

'_Well, Neji, looks like dinner will have to wait 'til I get back. Let's hope this mission isn't nothing like the last escort mission I took back then…'_

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**(At the same time, in a Secluded Roots Safe House at the edge of the village)**

He sat in a lavish chair in the center of a study. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace in that chased away the shadows in the otherwise dimly illuminated room. Danzou's bandaged form was facing the wall in front of the door, his single visible eye scanning over a map of the ninja continent.

Two weeks had passed since the invasion; two weeks since he just barely dodged the shinigami's grasp. Itachi was most likely on the prowl now, and it was anyone's guess what his next step was. The former ANBU commander knew he would have to be far more careful from now on, though he doubted the last of the Uchiha would take direct action…at least, not yet.

He could call Senju Tsunade many things, but a fool, she was not. Ever since the invasion, she pushed for repairing the ancient detection barrier, in addition to having its range and gaps modified, implementing sensors or bloodline ninja who had the ability to man every one of the internal patrols lines and checkpoints, and all training regimes were being reevaluated and reformed appropriately to the new era in the ninja world – the quiet before the storm.

Alas, these measures were not just activated externally. Danzou was aware of the level of scrutiny under which Tsunade put him. He had to remove all the seals from his operatives and replace the 'condemning' symbols with cyanide pills and suicide jackets.

He smirked to himself and rubbed his fingers over his concealed Sharingan eye._ 'Let her investigate all she wants. She'll never find anything and realize she's stretching her resources thin soon enough…'_

He glanced over Mizu no Kuni. He still had some deep cover agents burrowed deep within Kirigakure's infrastructure. He had planted them early in the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura's era, right before the hidden village's internal strife erupted fully.

Luckily, the notoriously xenophobic nation was probably still too delicate to begin internal purges for spies and foreign agents by the laxness of their internal security. That was not the situation his agents in Iwa and Kumo shared; their reports had become scattered and sporadic with warnings of internal investigations and inquisitions being wide-spread within Iwa.

Ishimaru was becoming somewhat paranoid, it would seem by what his spies reported. The Gobi's container was missing and the crushing defeat had left him in a tenuous political position that made him see shadows and unseen enemies everywhere. It was also delightful to hear from his agents in Kumo that discord and dissatisfaction were beginning to spread within Kumo's ranks.

For all their zealous nationalism, there were reports that many ninja were shaken from the genocidal attack on Kaze no Kuni and from fear of reprisal from their Daimyo and the surviving Suna-ninja whom they had no idea had entered Konoha's fold. Ninja, nowadays, were so delicate; nobody would have blinked in the old days when a ninja force razed and murdered many civilians to keep them quiet. So what if they had to pave a crimson stained path straight to the capital? They won spectacularly!

The juiciest rumor they reported was the supposed defection of Kirabi, their ultimate weapon the moment their army returned to the capital. _'Such a unique opportunity…if we can destroy it while it's isolated…Ei will be crushed…both emotionally and militarily…'_

His musings were interrupted by a presence entering the room. His voice pierced the silence as he heard one of his elite agents shift in the doorway. "Report, Torune."

"Uzumaki Naruto's house is impenetrable to my Kikaichuu, Danzou-sama. It would seem Jiraiya erected some fuuinjutsu barriers before he left which prevented them from crossing into the house, itself. Otherwise, Uzumaki Naruto is only unprotected when he is fulfilling guard duty or another menial tasks. His training is personally supervised by Hatake Kakashi, whom I've been unable to fool or approach, as of yet. When it isn't officiated by Hatake, it is undertaken within the Hyuuga compound."

Danzou was silent for a while as he pondered his options. "Where is he, now?"

"He and Hatake have left for an extended mission," his subordinate quietly replied.

"Excellent. I want his place bugged and cameras planted there. I have no doubts Tsunade suspects I will take this step, so remain unseen and undetected. Also, use the foreign equipment, so there can be no clues which lead back to us..." Danzou ordered and dismissed his loyal subject.

'_He is Kushina's heir, after all; I have no doubt __**that**__ woman left him the lost Uzumaki seals__,__ somehow. I cannot believe how powerful the boy is becoming. Damn my oversight in his youth! I should've gone behind Sarutobi's back and trained him…he would've been such an essential tool in my plan…'_

He was interrupted from his reminiscing by another presence approaching from behind him. His visible eyebrow furrowed.

"Danzou-sama, I apologize but he…" one of his agents apologized, only to be silenced by a gesture from his master.

"It's okay. Leave us." He fully turned in his seat to glance at the interloper which forced his way into his abode. He nodded in response to a humble bow and the sound of the voice he hadn't heard in many years.

"Shimura-dono, I apologize for barging in like this, but you're a very difficult man to find nowadays…more so to talk to in private."

"Haru-dono, it's been quite a while since I've seen you outside the Hyuuga compound," he commented evenly. It was not surprising the elder main branch member managed to locate him. In his prime, he was one of the premier scouts in Konoha's arsenal.

"Indeed. I would like to share something with you," the elder offered and Danzou sighed inwardly. It was always a hassle negotiating with the Hyuuga, their mastery over apathy and neutrality legendarily vexing. He gestured for his 'guest' to continue and listened intently.

"You see, we of the elder Hyuuga feel our current leadership has become…a bit too progressive to our liking. However, unfortunately, Godaime-sama refuses to see reason and has refused our polite requests repeatedly. So, we would like your help in helping us manage this 'problem'; preferably before Hinata reaches her age of majority and is still salvageable."

Danzou's eye narrowed a fraction and he carefully guarded himself to not reveal how convenient this opportunity was. "I see. Hypothetically, should I agree to look into this 'problem' of yours, would you be willing to 'look' after one of your frequent 'guests' for me?"

Haru creased a slender brow. "I don't see any problem. We all want 'him' to be well protected and taken care of. We might as well keep our 'eye' on him, just in case."

"Excellent. Then, it's only fair that I begin looking into your 'problem' and see how I can help 'realign' your leadership back to your esteemed traditions," the last of the Shimura line replied evenly.

The Hyuuga bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for freeing some of your time, Danzou-dono. I'm sure you're busy, and I've taken enough of your time already. Shall I send word ahead, next time?"

Danzou nodded in acquiescence. "That is acceptable. Until next time, Haru-dono." With that, the Hyuuga left, with Roots agents shadowing him, no doubt. Danzou, however, paid his departure little mind. His mind raced with the possible implications.

'_Now I shall know everything about your abilities and training, Uzumaki Naruto. Soon enough, with planning and preparation, you, too, shall become a part of my plan…you and your 'tenant.''_

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**(The following morning, Underground Research Compound, Ta no Kuni)**

Orochimaru frowned thoughtfully over his clipboard. His lips twisted into a grin and his amber eyes flickered with glee. He put down it down and his cool hand smoothed over the naked flesh of his former apprentice, caressing her neck and cheek.

'_Excellent. The transplant was successful__.__'_

The woman jerked and her eyes snapped open. She thrashed weakly against her constraints, teeth gnashed and golden violet eyes wide and wild. "You'll…never break me…you fucking bas-…Ahh!"

Her swearing was cut short by screaming as her skin started crawling, something slithering against it from within her body. She thrashed and cried in agony, her voice only muted to an extent when his hand painfully grasped her face, his eyes boring deeply into her own.

"Tsk, tsk…" Orochimaru began as he clucked his teeth in the process. "Save your strength, Anko-chan. I'm not quite done testing the limits of your regeneration, yet."

He reached for a syringe, and was about to inject her with the next necessary DNA concoction he synthesized, when he felt Karin and Kimimaro's presence approach his lab. The two sets of footsteps were rushed and she was out of breath as she barged into his lab with Kimimaro in tow.

"O-Orochimaru-sama!"

He shifted his glance over them, the impatience gleaming in his eerie yellow eyes.

She gulped before explaining. "We've evacuated the facility as you ordered, b-but two incredibly powerful chakra signatures are approaching from the north!"

Orochimaru laughed out loud and placed two fingers on Anko's forehead, knocking her out with a numbing burst of chakra before popping the needle into her shoulder and pushing the bubbling content into her bloodstream. He turned to Karin and pointed at her. "Keep her restrained with the seal-enhanced chains and cuffs at all times. Take her with you through the tunnel…I'll be with your shortly.

The snake sannin chuckled softly and rushed out of the room. Around him, he felt tremors and the distant sound of explosions. His former associates were no doubt demolishing the sentinels he stationed outside to stall them.

'_Sssssssssasori…you never did disappoint me with your punctuality!'_

He ran through the hand seals necessary for his most deadly kinjutsu, the infamous Edo Tensei, and watched with delight as the two coffins burst from within the bowels of the earth. He watched the gray and decaying forms of the Sandaime Kazekage and the recently deceased Sandaime Tsuchikage, Oonoki.

One of his many projects over the years back when he served as a Konoha ninja (and later, when he traveled before he founded Otogakure) was to collect DNA samples off bodies of powerful ninja, infiltrate hidden villages and pillage graves and break into homes of famous ninja and steal DNA samples. It had taken him over a two-and-a-half decades, but he now had a quite extensive sample base for his various experiments.

He procured the personality suppression seals, modified by his own design to retain their memories and personalities on one hand, but suppressed their free will on the other. The last and newest modification was to time their presence in the material realm; he had invested just enough chakra to keep them here for three hours, enough time for him to be long gone.

He finished the ritual and spoke softly, "Have fun with your old acquaintances, but do not kill them. Jusssst scare and humiliate them. I need them alive. Tell them Orochimaru sends his regards and asks them to kindly leave him alone. You may injure them in any non-fatal manner of your choosing…oh, and procure some DNA samples for me…just in casssse."

With that, he turned toward the escape tunnel while his tools marched onwards to battle. Everything had gone according to plan. Sasori would never live down the humiliation and would continue to pursue him. He would never report such a failure to Pein so only he and whomever he partnered would chase him in vain until the time was ripe for him to make his move.

His mind raced with the next phase of his master plan. _'Soon…once everything is ready__,__ I shall finally land a blow against your cause, Pein. A blow you will never be able to contend with__,__ and while you scatter to prepare yourself__,__ I will finally achieve the final phase of my ambition and embark on the path of becoming the perfect being!'_

**

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**

**(The Following Morning, Somewhere near the former Takigakure, Taki no Kuni)**

Naruto panted softly when Kakashi ordered them to come to a full stop. They had traveled at a very high pace for repeated hours. His muscles were sore and he only imagined his companions were just as weary as he was. Being a Jinchuuriki involved quite a number of cons, but, fortunately, some significant perks balanced the negative; physical resilience and stamina were just some of them.

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, helping to steady him on the branch and spoke softly, in an authoritative manner, "Everyone, take a soldier pill and drink some water. We're at the rendezvous point. We haven't sensed any enemies until now, but it stands to reason some may be lurking about, so stay sharp. Naruto, send some Kage Bunshin to scout outside the perimeter of Usagi-san's Byakugan."

Naruto complied, conjuring five doppelgangers before nimbly catching a half-full water bottle from Hana. He consumed it before pushing it into one of the pockets in his flak jacket. He could sense the soft tingling borne of the slivers of the Kyuubi's youki mixing with his own chakra, and in mere moments, the ache and weariness began melting away.

"Kakashi-senpai, I recognize the target you spoke of, but he is not alone," Usagi announced grimly. "I count three ninja in his immediate vicinity as well. All four of them seem to be nuke-nin by the looks of their forehead protectors; three from Ame with our asset being from the former Takigakure."

Hana bared her teeth, her sharp canines pronounced as her dark eyes narrowed when her familar growled deeply. "I don't like this, Kakashi-senpai. If they have a squad, why do they need our assistance in retrieving the hero water?"

The Copy ninja nodded his head and answered quietly, "Tsunade-sama anticipated such a possible scenario, and the team makeup is all part of the plan. Naruto, I want you to impersonate Usagi and Hana with your Kage Bunshin and approach the enemy with me. We will draw their initial attack if a trap is sprung. Between my Sharingan and Naruto's regeneration abilities, we should expose them to a flank attack from the rear by you two."

"With all due respect, Kakashi-senpai, Naruto-san is still a rookie chuunin. I'm not sure…" the Inuzuka heiress interjected coolly and ignored her companion's whining as it nuzzled its nose into her hand. Naruto frowned and bit his lower lip to hold back his snarky retort. While he was not surprised by her hesitation or doubt in his abilities, it was only natural that he was upset that she dismissed him so easily. But, he didn't want to upset Kakashi-sensei, so he huffed quietly as he summoned two shadow clones.

The copies wordlessly assumed the forms of his teammates via the Henge technique. Kakashi brushed passed him and whispered something he didn't quite catch to Hana and covered a small snicker when her eyes widened a bit and she glared at the copy ninja.

"Tch, it's your funeral…" the Inuzuka murmured inaudibly as Naruto and Kakashi approached their contact. Naruto scanned over the man, noting that he had long spiky hair, dark eyes and a goatee. He wore a dark blue jacket, gray pants, sandals and a bandana that held his hair out of his face.

They landed on the rocky, moist soil and walked towards the man in question. "The man's name is Suien," Kakashi whispered to the blond while keeping his vision straight ahead, "and he is a B-rank nuke-nin. He's a primarily water-based ninjutsu user. I'm not sure whether he already collected the hero water or not. If he turns out to be hostile and has the water with him, then you deal with his allies and let me deal with him, and by no means are you to assist me. Understood?

Naruto nodded and inhaled deeply through his nose. "Oh, and keep your clones from before at the ready. They might come in handy if we're in a pinch."

He grinned faintly and shut his eyes for a brief moment. He repeated the calming exercise the elder toad Fukusaku had taught him and focused his chakra in the center of his chest and let it expand equally through his limbs.

'_I can do this, I can do this…'_ he chanted within his mind and ignored the soft rumbling of the fox's laughter in his mind.

"Hatake Kakashi," Suien greeted in a deep baritone, bowing his head slightly.

Kakashi returned the gesture, lifting one of his hands in greeting. "Suien-san, I trust you haven't been waiting for too long."

"Let's get this over with. These are dangerous times..." he barked gruffly and then led them through the long stony path until they reached an area where many tree roots burst the ground. "The tunnel is through there, so hold your breath and stay close to me…"

Naruto eyed Kakashi uncertainly, _'If he wants to kill us…wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity…?'_ he wondered inwardly.

His sensei didn't disappoint. "I've been to Takigakure before, so why don't you head on in, and we'll follow you shortly. We'll make sure nobody's following us…"

Naruto caught a very brief twitch in the nuke-nin's cheek and recognized it as what Neji had taught him was a sign of contempt. He caught the slight timbre of scorn in his tone and tensed. "As you wish, Hatake-san, but don't' dawdle. My former country has become a dangerous place, and I'm not the only nuke-nin seeking refuge in these badlands…"

He then slipped between the branches and a splash was heard. Kakashi eyed him seriously the moment they were alone and whispered so only he could hear. "Naruto, stay alert. I feel chakra signatures around us, and I have the feeling we may have even more company on the other side of that tunnel. Stay close to me…"

Naruto complied and tailed Kakashi through the branches and nervously licked his lips as they walked toward the dark, freezing waters. He inwardly reached toward the seal, his chakra brushing against the Kyuubi's cage. _'I have a bad feeling about this...Maybe being in the bingo book wasn't such a good thing, after all…'_

He inhaled deeply and took the plunge, shivering as he was devoured by the nearly black water around him, all sound around him numbed except the sinister laughter of his demonic passenger, lurking just beneath his skin in waiting.

**

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**

**(At the same time, Underground Prison Compound, Kirigakure no Sato)**

The first thing that filtered in her mind was pain, unbearable amounts of agony. Her body was sore and bleeding all over, courtesy to her 'hosts'. They had managed to apprehend and capture her on the ferry to Mizu no Kuni from Nami no Kuni and she had been in her cell ever since.

She was chained to a metallic chair, right under a stalagmite, water drops drizzling down her. The silence was maddening; the only sound around her was that of the dripping water. Worse, it was pitch dark and freezing cold. They kept her in wet clothing so she wouldn't be able to sleep and would constantly remain weak, but they kept her healthy enough to withstand their endless torrent of questions with medical ninjutsu.

'_Damn it…maybe we should've stayed in Konoha…'_her alter ego pitifully moaned in her mind. Sakura bit her lips and held back the tears of frustration and despair. She would've lost her sanity a long time ago if she didn't have her alter self to converse with, or perhaps she was already off her rocker…it was so hard to think.

The door of her cell shifted; the sound of metal brushing against metal hurting her ears, her eyes burning when her irises saw light for the first time in who knew how long…

She had lost all sense of time in her captivity.

She was surprised to hear a sharp female voice speak up. Up until now, all her interrogators were men – oily, meticulously cruel…men. She couldn't quite catch what was exchanged between the woman and her guard, but in moments, she felt her chains loosen and her body hoisted from the chair.

Her blurry vision caught the sight of a dark red color, and then, the pain became nearly unbearable as they dragged her into the blinding light. She tried to cover her eyes, but her arms were too sore and her muscles didn't respond properly after such a long period of inactivity.

'_Where are they taking us? Is this…is this the end?' _she wondered with morbid fascination mingled with depressed resignation. She was being dragged somewhere but she felt too tired and too weak to glance around her and try to discern her surroundings.

Eventually, her trip was cut short when she was tossed onto a hard, wooden floor. Her vision had finally adjusted to the light and she discreetly scanned her surroundings, noticing the lavishness of furniture, paintings and the prominent wooden throne in front of her.

"Haruno Sakura…" a cool, female voice spoke to her. She looked up and glanced upon a strikingly impressive and exquisite woman. The woman appeared in her thirties, if Sakura guessed correctly, with ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark-blue band, and four bangs dangling at the front.

The woman's eyes were a bone-chilling light green as she glanced at her with equally callous indifference. Her garb consisted of a long-sleeved, dark-blue dress that fell just below the knees. It seemed to be closed at the front with a zip and was kept open on the front-right side, from the waist down. The dress only covered up to the upper part of her upper arms and the underside of her breasts.

Underneath her skimpy clothing, she wore a mesh shirt that covered more of her upper body than her dress, but stopped short of covering her shoulders and still left a sizable cleavage. She also wore shorts in the same color as her dress and, underneath those, tightly-fitted, mesh leggings reaching down over her knees. Around her waist, she wore a belt with a pouch attached to the back on the left-hand side.

"I am the Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Mei," she declared and her blue colored lips twisted from a mirthless smile into a frown. "I have reviewed and have recently authenticated the documents you supplied us. I find it very 'interesting' that you managed to lay your hands on such sensitive material."

Sakura gulped and glanced away from the imposing woman, her mere presence suffocating. The woman obviously stretched her chakra purposefully to that end. "You told your interrogators that you stole these from Shimura Danzou. I find that highly improbable…so, convince me, otherwise."

'_Careful…Don't lie to this one. She seems even more dangerous than Tsunade or Danzou…and that man with the eye patch beside her must be a sensor specializing in body language…'_ her alter ego cautioned her softly.

She cursed her shaking voice. She wanted to blame the cold, but it was more so the woman's piercing eyes and violating chakra that made it hard to think…hard to breathe. "D-Danzou had plans for me. He couldn't indoctrinate me…I was too old, so he…he blackmailed me. B-but, unforeseen circumstances made him lose his collateral and then I-I had help when…"

Mei silenced her by lifting a hand. "Help, you say? Who helped you infiltrate and steal from the infamous Danzou?"

Sakura exhaled shakily before she continued. "He called himself Kabuto. He had silver hair and glasses and impersonated a genin to take part in the Chuunin Exams. H-he said he wanted to take me back with him to Otogakure, b-but then turned on me when the documents didn't suit his needs…"

Mei made a contemplative humming sound and then shrugged her shoulders. "We've managed to cross-reference that name you told your interrogators. It seems you've been in contact with the right-hand man of the infamous Orochimaru, himself. Intriguing…Now, tell me…did this Kabuto say he would contact you again?"

Sakura strained her memory and hesitantly nodded. "He said t-that if I survived, I'd suit him more as an agent than as an apprentice and left me there…he left me there…to die…"

Mei glanced at the older man beside her and he nodded lightly. "We shall be able to use that when the times comes. I would very much like to meet with this…Kabuto, one day. Anyway, what I really want to know is why you chose my village to seek asylum out of all the possible and closer options you had…"

She was about to talk when her darker side hissed in her mind._ 'Careful, Sakura-chan. This is a test of some sort. I can tell it by the gleam in her eyes…It's just like Danzou's when he…you know…'_

"I-I knew, of all the hidden villages, Kiri is the one they're least likely to search. Everyone knows you Kiri-nin are notoriously xenophobic and violent, and nobody wants to become your common enemy. T-that's why nobody involved you in the Third Great Ninja war…everybody knows…"

"Do not lie to me!" Mei sharply exclaimed and her eyes seemed to glow with power.

"I-it's true! Your country's been a mess for so many years that Konoha ninja don't want to be caught in your internal struggles and become a scapegoat for you all to unite against. I-It's well known much of the stability in the last two decades is because of your country's civil wars! A-and I had acquaintances in N-Nami no Kuni, so it was e-easy to…"

Mei's nostrils flared and her fingertips dug into the wood, causing deep cracks to form. She turned to the man beside her and whispered furiously under her breath. Sakura couldn't hear what was exchanged between the two but she did catch a name 'Yagura' being spat out venomously.

"She wasn't lying…" the man beside her evenly stated loud enough for Sakura to hear as well. The Mizukage exhaled sharply and began drumming her fingers on the chair.

'_She seems visibly disturbed by the frankness or our admission, Sakura-chan. Most likely on how the other Great Four used their misery and strife to benefit and grow stronger…Oh this is good…'_ Sakura observed before her darker ego, inwardly grinning.

Mei cupped a hand over her mouth and inhaled deeply, seeming to have settled down and then turned to Sakura as she let loose a shaky sigh. "You've been honest and forthcoming, it would seem, but that means nothing to me. I still don't trust you. You betrayed your home to save your own skin. So, you'll have to work if you want to become one of my kunoichi…" Sakura gulped and nodded, grimly beginning to fear what was coming next. "Your former master has spies here or will send more spies here most likely. They will report of your presence here, and they will come for you, eventually...You will help me capture them when they do."

Sakura's eyes widened marginally. That wasn't what she had in mind when she sought asylum. Kabuto had said the documents would buy her passage.

"You will receive an apartment in the civil district and will remain under our supervision as a freelance consultant."

'_This is…this is bad!'_ Sakura grimaced and her alter-ego growled in impotent rage.

Mei's smile grew terrible, full of grim satisfaction and superiority. "You will help me, Haruno Sakura, whether you like it or not. You will help me thwart Danzou and Konoha. You will tell me all you know, and I will protect you; possibly even help you train and grow as a ninja. If, in one year's time, you prove yourself worthy, then I will instate you as one of my kunoichi, but, if you fail me or betray me…"

Sakura's eyes shut tightly, _'No…I can't do this again…I can't become someone's slave and scapegoat again…'_

The Mizukage's words sent fear lancing down Sakura's spine and she could only nod numbly. Her alter ego soothed her with sweet lies and reassurances, no doubt.

'_No! Don't despair, darling Sakura-chan. She's giving you…us…a chance. We can use it to stick it to Danzou-teme and prove our worth in a way we never could back there…Don't forget that Kiri can't afford to be a picky hidden village, anymore. Besides…we can do this! Don't give up so easily…!'_

Somehow, between the bitterness and fear she realized her alter ego—or was it her common sense echoing behind her words? Whoever it was, it was right; there was, for the first time in almost a year, a tangible thread of hope dangling at the edge of the abyss.

Haruno Sakura was no quitter; she would do anything it took to make sure she succeeded. And when the time was right, she would take advantage of the situation to her benefit and get her revenge…against Konoha, against Danzou and maybe…against the crimson eyes, as well!


	2. 1: A Little Push in the Right Direction

**Disclaimer: The Naruto Franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, 'Shounen Jump' and other affiliated companies with intellectual property rights over the franchise.**

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**A/N:  
==== **

1) First of all, a Whopping big thank you to **DarkHeroOrion, **he really worked hard on tweaking this chapter and believe me the original version didn't flow anywhere this well or look this good. Kudos and thanks :)  
2) To those who detest the 'Crimson Eyes' moniker, I listened and have 'nodded' in your direciton, I hope it is acceptable now :)  
3) After reviewing the reviews for the previous story, I noticed just how many people disliked parts of story 1 for being one-sided and baised towards the 'golden boy' Naruto while being cruel to Sakura, so this story will strive to be more balanced and rectify things, just bear with me as Naruto's fights adversity and his own youthful mistakes and learns and Sakura finds her own path in life.  
4) To you NaruIno Fans, I hope this small dose will suffice until your next fix ;)  
5) Thank you all for your reviews, I really appreciate it.

Read, Enjoy & Review Plz!

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**Japanese Word Glossary:**

Baka - Idiot/Fool  
Takigakure - Hidden Waterfall  
Konohagakure - Hidden Leaf  
Konoha - Leaf  
Suna - Sand  
Sunagakura - Hidden Sand  
Kumogakure - Hidden Cloud  
Kumo - Cloud  
Raikage - Lightning Shadow  
Hokage - Fire Shadow  
Mizukage - Water Shadow  
Hi no Kuni - Fire Country  
Mizu no Kuni - Water Country  
Yondaime - The Fourth  
Kyuubi - Nine-Tails  
Kiri - Mist  
Kirigakure - Hidden Mist  
Iwa - Rock  
Iwagakure - Hidden Rock  
Taki - Waterfall  
Yarou - Bastard  
Rikudou Sennin - The Sage of Six Paths  
Hijutsu - Secret Technique  
Shodai - The First  
Nuke-nin - Missing Ninja  
Jinchuuriki - 'Power of Human Sacrifice' - The name ninja give Tailed Beast Hosts  
Youki - Evil Energy  
Senpai - Honorific which a younger or less experience subordinate addresses his superior  
Yomi - The Japanese word for the underworld where the dead dwell  
Kyoufu - Godfather  
Baachan - Grannie  
Bijuu - Tailed Beast/s

******

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**

**(Within the former Takigakure)**

Naruto emerged from the icy coffin of liquid somewhat winded. He shivered faintly in the cold cavernous temperature, flanked by his two disguised clones. He noticed Kakashi standing in front of him, his body language taut and tense.

'_If Kakashi-sensei's alert…this can't be good…'_

"So…Suien-san," he heard his sensei speak in a cool, even manner, "why don't you direct us towards the source of the holy water? As you said…we'd rather not dawdle in these dangerous times."

Naruto's eyes narrowed when he noticed his sensei's hands folded behind his back. He read the sign language and his mind started racing.

'_At least another four enemies…'_

Suien had his back to them as he continued speaking, "You know…they say that the Rikudou Sennin, with a Hijutsu similar to your Shodai Hokage's, erected the giant tree of Taki."

"I fail to see the relevance here, Suien-san." Kakashi replied coolly and signaled his charge to get ready before he brought his hands to his sides. Naruto moved to stand behind him, his back facing Kakashi's and the two clones flanking them both. Naruto could actually feel Kakashi's chakra spike subtly due to their close proximity.

"That's why our elders originally sent Kakuzu to assassinate Hashirama…" his voice wandered. "They were afraid he might accidently replicate the great tree's unique composition, which, once in every century, yields the holy 'hero water'."

Naruto and Kakashi burst apart as the whistling sound of projectiles pierced the silence, several kunai imbedding themselves into the ground between them and dispelled his clones that weren't so lucky. Naruto heard the hissing sound and dropped all pretenses and leaped into the water behind them.

He knew his sensei would be fine, and, as he heard the dulled roar of the explosive tags going off, he made several quick hand seals. He felt the water rush around him and then kicked upward. He kept on holding the final hand seal—the tiger seal—as he surfaced, inhaling deeply just as his chosen ninjutsu, the 'Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu,' was unleashed.

Two spiraling streams crisscrossed from his sides, rushing past his sensei and heading toward Suien. The Taki nuke-nin ran through lightning fast hand seals and the water around him spiraled.

He expected his sensei to follow up the technique like they had practiced with a lightning ninjutsu but Kakashi instead turned and shot him a quick glare with his Sharingan eye. "I told you not to interfere, Naruto."

The Jinchuuriki had little time to hear his next comment as he was forced to flip backward to avoid a high-velocity flame projectile. He ignored the rush of heat and swerved his body, dodging two metallic projectiles in the process.

He caught a blur in his peripheral vision and span around while leaping up, feeling the satisfying crunch of his heel smashing into somebody's face. His eyebrow twitched as the assailant crumbled into chunks of stone.

'_Tsuchi Bunshin…? I thought nuke-nin from different villages didn't collaborate…'_

Before he could proceed to initiate a hand seal sequence, a massive burst of chakra erupted to his left. He caught a massive miasma-like construct of raw chakra dancing around a glowing silhouette. He immediately summoned a shadow clone and used it as a springboard to leap over the massive wave invoked.

While he was airborne he heard two voices call out, "Suiton: Suiben!"

Two thin, long, liquid constructs rushed toward him. He had little time to react as they wrapped around his arms. His eyes widened as two figures entered his line of sight, both flashing through hand seals.

Naruto's nerves flared to life as lightning lanced through the liquid, and he just barely noticed the two streams of flame approaching him at alarming speed. He grimaced and shut his eyes, pulling some slivers of excess youki from his chakra system and his body flashed a crimson hue. The demonic energy disrupted the water ninjutsu and he winced as he just barely dodged the burning waves of fire.

Pain flashed through him as his clothes still caught fire. Therefore, he dropped rather unceremoniously to the water below, sighing in relief as his still burning clothes were doused.

'_Looks like I'll need some backup of my own…'_

He bit his thumb and was about to use Kuchiyose no Jutsu when his eyes widened in alarm. He had little time, and, instinctively, he used some raw water manipulation and pushed himself deeper in time to dodge a swipe of a blade that nearly decapitated him.

The blond's eyes perceptibly bulged out of their sockets. _'Shit!' _

He wildly looked around him and noticed a ninja with a mask with a breathing apparatus protecting his face_. 'Oh, damn it all! He's got an Ame scuba mask…and I have no doubt those guys are waiting to take me down the moment I surface…'_

Naruto suddenly displayed a feral grin and crossed his fingers, summoning half a dozen doppelgangers. He was thankful for the massive sheen of bubbles which followed the ninjutsu and quickly sent four of his clones upward and left a single clone in his place while he also approached the surface.

His chest started hurting, so he unleashed a burst of chakra from the soles of his feet, propelling himself further to break the plane of water surrounding him. He inhaled deeply, his lungs slightly burning, but felt sweet relief as he took in air. He heard the popping of his clones being dispelled.

The jinchuuriki growled like an animal in frustration. _'You bastards are in for a world of hurt!'_

He heard the sound of a female roaring, "Tsuuga!" and noticed his enemies below disperse as two blurry shapes crossed between them. His eyes widened as he noticed the Inuzuka and her beast clone engage two ninja in taijutsu, but miss the enemy charging behind her.

He reached into his weapons pouch and quickly unleashed four shuriken at her assailant. Naruto quickly shifted through five hand seals and once the shuriken safely passed over Hana, they multiplied exponentially.

The Inuzuka glanced at the shredded enemy behind her only for a moment before she and her partner parted, making a way for Usagi to flicker into vision from under a shroud of genjutsu and struck both her opponents in the chests. They sunk into the water, coughing blood.

"Where's Kakashi…?" Naruto asked to himself before they heard a crackling sound, followed by a flash of light. Naruto didn't even wait to see the lightning ninjutsu fired toward them and did the one thing he could do…

He stepped in front of the other two ninja and thrust his hands forward and pushed the wind with all the chakra he could muster.

The gale of wind exploded and disrupted the lightning bolts that nearly fried them all. However, he failed to account for the subsequent blur of motion coming from his left with a glowing blade charged with lightning.

Hana swept Naruto's feet, knocking him into the water but otherwise saved his life. He gurgled slightly as he choked on some water and looked up, noticing that his teammates were struggling and moving rapidly.

'_I'm sick of this shit!'_ Naruto thought angrily and rose to the surface while making a long string of hand seals. Now that he had some moments to himself, he could finally use some of the heavy artillery.

He burst out of the water, right between his easily identifiable teammates, since they weren't holding a glowing shape. As he burst from the surface, he pushed out a massive amount of chakra outwards, unleashing in a rather simple ninjutsu.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" he hissed out breathlessly. The amount of chakra behind the ninjutsu created an intense gust of moving air, which collided quite violently with the incoming enemy. The sickening sound of crunching bone preceded their assailant, pushing him back a considerable distance away.

The last of the Uzumaki panted softly and looked around him, noticing his teammates eyeing him appreciatively. The Inuzuka sighed softly. "Not bad, squirt. I wish Kiba had your skill…" she said wistfully in a solemn manner.

Naruto nodded grimly, her previous reluctance and hesitancy a bit more understandable now. She still mourned for her brother, whom charged blindly into an enemy ambush and got slaughtered. He couldn't find any words to say. What could one say in such a situation?

"That was the last of them," the Hyuuga announced, returning the assorted chuunin back to their mission. "Except for Suien, Kakashi-senpai seems to be…" He trailed off as they caught sight of their team captain narrowly dodging an abnormally large water dragon and land on the water in front of them. "…struggling…"

Suien landed in front of him with a massive splash, the miasma of chakra around him still going strong. Naruto was a bit surprised Kakashi hadn't demolished the nuke-nin who was nowhere near his level of power in skill. "Is that all you've got, Hatake Kakashi…?"

'_I've had it with trash talking, cliché poseurs…'_ Naruto thrust his right hand forward and invoked the intoxicating power of his tenant. He felt the crimson power manifest, the gentle burning sensation wrapping around his arm and wrist before a massive, ethereal clawed hand formed in front of him.

"Kakashi-sensei, move out of the way!" he shouted as the limb stretched and shot forth. The Copy-Ninja instinctively obeyed. Meanwhile, the shocked nuke-nin forced all his augmented chakra around him in a protective cocoon, but it was no match for the might of the fox.

He was about to shred the arrogant son of a bitch when Kakashi shouted, "No, Naruto! We need him _alive_!"

Naruto blinked and shut his hand, the ghostly appendage mimicking his motion. The slashing attack was dulled down to a punch which smashed into the nuke-nin from behind (after some maneuvering by Naruto) with staggering might.

Kakashi intercepted their treacherous asset with some difficulty, grunting as Hana and Usagi helped stop his momentum. Naruto panted heavily, the burning sensation fading as he released the youki, and in its wake the fatigue and nausea left.

The Copy-Ninja handed Suien to Usagi. "Hana, give him medical attention. Usagi, you make sure he doesn't wake up and then restrain him.

"Naruto…come here!" His sensei crisply barked, making him flinch with the force behind the mandate, and they both walked off away from their teammates. Kakashi, though somewhat winded and haggard looking, covered up his Sharingan. He eyed his charge with a pointed glare.

"I was just about to unleash my trap and finish him off myself," he began in a soft voice, but the tone behind it came off to the blond as very steely and stern. "I wasted a great deal of time and effort to fight him in a non-lethal manner." That look turned cold, making Naruto warily look up at him. "You nearly compromised the entire mission, and you disobeyed a direct order to disengage!"

Naruto had the decency to look down but felt some bitterness well inside him. "I thought you were in trouble," he rebutted. "I was just trying to help, and you never told me that we needed him al—"

"Naruto, you're not a genin anymore," Kakashi interrupted, cutting him off in the process. "In a B-rank mission, disobeying direct orders can get all of us killed. I concede that I should've explained the full parameters of the mission, but that is no excuse for your insubordination. "

"You said those who disobey the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash! So which is it? What am I supposed to do?" Naruto frantically flailed around his arms, feeling at odds with his grounded principles.

Kakashi was silent for a moment before ticking off points on his digits. "One: there was no immediate danger to the team; two: we had the advantage of four on one; and three: you had no justification for straying away from your original orders." The older shinobi heaved a sigh and closed his visible eye. "I know your heart was in the right place, but I can no longer hold your hand. You are a chuunin now. When I told you not to engage, I was expecting you to come to the conclusion that this was a detainment mission, since I told you we were meeting an asset for information on the Hero Water."

"But I…" Naruto wanted to argue, but Kakashi intervened again, making his refutation die on the air.

"I stand by what I told you, back then, but going astray from orders is only necessary and sanctioned under extreme circumstances…"

"Wait! But…but, how am I supposed to know when 'extreme circumstances' happen?"

The ashen-haired ninja decided to throw him a bone, though it didn't serve much help. "All I can tell you is that you will learn over time with experience and age. This is your first, official, high-level mission, so it's only expected you might make a mistake and aren't used to analyzing the little data given for the mission. Personally, I made similar blunders on my first A-class mission. But…Minato-sensei punished me just the same, and similarly, you will be punished once we return to Konoha."

Naruto bit his lower lip and resigned himself to his fate. He knew his sensei was right; he almost screwed up big time, but it didn't help dull the disappointment and slight resentment he felt. He had tried his very best.

His conscience added salt to the proverbial open wound. _'You tried your very best last time__,__ too, didn't you?'_

The memory of his most infamous error reared its ugly head, and the glimpse of Sasuke's dead body flashed before his eyes. He realized once more that his over-eagerness had almost cost him dearly, though not in a pound of flesh, but it could've harmed the interests of his home and came back to bite them in the ass later.

"Oh, and don't think you'll get away with talking back to your team leader in enemy territory, Naruto." Kakashi evenly supplied, kicking the dead dog while it was down.

Naruto grimaced and sighed despondently. _'Oh well…At least Hana doesn't look at me like some kid__,__ anymore…'_

**

* * *

**

(Meanwhile, Secluded apartment in Konohagakure)

In a secluded, semi-illuminated room, the three surviving subordinates of Tobirama Senju were once more convened around a small round table. Their purpose in meeting in the middle of the night in a seal-protected area, away from prying eyes, was to determine the latest affairs.

"It's been a while," Koharu tenderly commented, her eyes glancing briefly at each of her old associates, "ever since Hiruzen's death…"

Danzou snorted faintly. "I daresay Sarutobi would've been pleased by…_her_ performance." His acerbic attitude to Tsunade was clearly evident by the venom that dripped off his inflection. "She's proven herself quite competent as a Hokage; more so than we could've expected."

Homura stroked his beard and let loose a smooth sigh. "Perhaps, a little too well…" He hummed more to himself. "She's grown far too independent. Arrogant, even, to say the least. She refuses to listen or implement the advice Koharu and I have offered her."

Koharu shook her head, her voice quiet. "While I agree she retains her impulsive and petulant demeanor she carried back when she was in her twenties, there is no arguing with her results, as hard as it is to believe. She has renovated all our security protocols and has also begun the repairs on the barrier."

Danzou clicked his tongue. "She wastes her…_our_ resources on chasing shadows. She has our chuunin spending precious training time on needlessly bolstered guard duties and a good portion of ANBU investigating and seeking for leaks and spies…"

"Don't be so surly, Danzou. It doesn't suit you," Koharu chided with a small smirk and a dismissive wave of her hand. "You cannot blame her. Kabuto fooled us for a good number of years, and it cost us greatly. Anko's capture also weighs heavily on us all, for there is no telling what Orochimaru has planned. Another such…miscalculation may cost us far more, if…" she momentarily tapered off before correcting herself, "no, _when_ a war breaks out. For all the dangers he poses, Orochimaru is but one ninja. He is no hidden village."

The wizened war hawk tried his best to not show a sour look toward his fellow compatriots. "Besides, at the same time she has been burdening the chuunin, she has revamped their training curriculum, and it reminds me of the ones Tobirama-sensei used to implement back in the old days." He recited what he found out from his archives, as well as from memory for undergoing the same regimen. "Nature Manipulation training straight out of the academy, specialization training in genjutsu and medical ninjutsu for shinobi with low chakra levels, and let us not forget the constant team exercises and team rotations she enforces to familiarize our ninja with their peers…"

Homura grimly nodded. "It is cunning of her, and I have, in good confidence, learned she has been planning for multiple invasion scenarios with Naru Shikaku, Aburame Shibi and Hyuuga Hiashi. It is no wonder she is concentrating on genjutsu and ninjutsu. If the intelligence predictions are correct, then the next war will be waged right in our territory…in Hi no Kuni. Furthermore, if we are attacked by Kiri, Kumo and Iwa, we'll have to rely on guerilla tactics and subterfuge if we hope to survive…"

Danzou smirked. "And yet, she squanders our greatest asset. Instead of training him day and night to become the ultimate weapon, she wastes Uzumaki's time with mindless guard duty, and what little training time he has, she splits between battle training and basic linguistics and mathematics!"

The other two seemed surprised, and it was Homura who coldly inquired, "How did you come by such knowledge, Danzou? Tsunade has been quite tight-lipped about how she intends to train young Uzumaki."

He slightly inclined his head and his lips twitched just a fraction, deciding to lead them on. "The same way I learned of the Uchiha's treachery, back then. I have my own sources within and outside our village."

Koharu folded her hands together, keeping a level façade. "There is no arguing with Kakashi's proficiency. He did mold him into a competent ninja in only a manner of months. Perhaps, we should err on the side of caution before trying to intervene…"

Homura, ever the voice of compromise, offered his humble suggestion. "Uzumaki must be quite displeased himself. Maybe he can be…_pushed_ in the right direction. We cannot defy Tsunade directly, but if he tries to pressure her…" He heavily puffed a long sigh and realized the futility of his suggestion. "No, she's stubborn. I doubt it would work. I wish Jiraiya-kun showed up, so he could talk some sense into her."

Koharu's eyes widened a moment, and her lips twisted into a grim smile. "I have an idea on how to rectify this…situation. Give me a several weeks—a month, at most—and I will arrange for a resolution I'm sure you'll both be pleased with…"

Danzou eyed her with uninhibited suspicion, his single eye tapering and squinted. "I would like you to elaborate, Koharu…"

The elder kunoichi waved his request with another dismissive gesture, like she swatted away a pestering fly. "I have my ways, Danzou, so do not be concerned. Don't you trust me?"

"It is my concern, Koharu," Danzou sniffed. "Uzumaki must not become similar to Tsunade in his insolence and disregard the old ways and the experience of his elders. He must be honed and baptized in war like his father, Minato. We cannot afford him to become weak and sentimental like Sarutobi in his dying days. If his potential is any sign, then he will become Hokage, sooner or later…"

"I know what must be done. I said I would deal with it. Do not question or pester me, Danzou." The thin smile she gave him made him completely drop the subject. He acknowledged the concession with a slight nod. Obviously, he had little allies left in the upper echelons of Konoha and could not alienate her and Homura, as well, and they knew it as well as he did.

"Now, now," Homura said in a soothing manner before he reached into his robe. He procured a small sake bottle and gingerly placed it on the table. He then proceeded to removed three very small saucers from a bag beside him, "there's no need for us to argue, friends."

The other two settled down and silently waited while he poured them all the cool rice wine. "We have yet to celebrate the ending of the age of the Uchiha. May all of their treacherous souls burn in Yomi."

"Sasuke's death was unfortunate," Danzou commented. "He would've made a fine addition to our arsenal. And let us not forget his death has put us all in a very dangerous position. I would not celebrate, if I were you…"

Koharu composedly glared at the clear liquid. "Homura, Danzou is correct. Itachi still lives. We are all potential targets for his vengeance, and his promise still looms over us."

Homura shook his head and pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I always suspected Itachi was bluffing. He hasn't leaked the truth of the Uchiha, yet, has he? I doubt he will whisper a word to anyone. He always seemed far too…pacifistic to me. He knows the ramifications of revealing the sordid truth to the ninja continent, now more than ever…"

"Nonetheless," Danzou chimed in as he swirled around the alcohol in his dish, "we should begin working on manipulating the situation in our favor. We cannot be certain that he will hold his tongue forever. Even if just Tsunade learns the truth, we will all be in a very precarious situation. Itachi must be dealt with soon…for all of our sakes."

* * *

(**Three days later, Training Area fifteen, Konohagakure)**

Uchiha Itachi's single visible eye thoughtfully thinned from his vantage point. He was hidden in plain sight in the shadows, perched against a large tree trunk within Konoha, itself. His brown eye calmly observed the scene in front of him.

He had discarded his Akatsuki garbs ever since he began working solo; his attire now consisted of a humble looking gi and his straw hat, minus the bells. His brother's eye was constantly covered by a black patch of leather with a seal etched upon it. The implanted Sharingan remained hidden from the prying eyes of any sensors, bloodline ninja and, most importantly, Uchiha Madara and Zetsu.

He spied Uzumaki Naruto sitting dejectedly upon a branch in a secluded area of Training Area Fifteen. The boy had just gotten back and been dismissed by Kakashi and been ordered to report to Tsunade's office in the morning.

He had observed the boy's performance during the ambush, and he was somewhat disappointed. He had expected more from the son of the Yellow Flash, but, given his lax training schedule this last month, it was hardly surprising.

It would seem that Konohagakure kept him leashed and held him back like an overprotective parent. It would've amused the last of the Uchiha, had it not been so very ironic. He had been gallivanting in the heart of the village, unhindered, despite Tsunade's zealous new defense protocols.

Did she honestly believe chuunin, even if they were sensors and bloodline ninja, could detect and—by the kami forbid—stop an S-class ninja from infiltrating Konoha? She probably banked on the barrier unit and mixing up the patrol lines to suffice in scrambling and confusing ninja of his caliber.

It mattered not, though; Uzumaki Naruto was being devoured by the great machine that was the 'greater good' of Konoha, ironically holding back his meteoric potential.

The lone rogue closed his naked eye in contemplation. _'It seems it's time to give him a little…push in the right direction…'_

The nuke-nin shifted positions so he faced Naruto's direction. His single, visible eye shut and, when it snapped open, the Mangekyou Sharingan spun in place of his triple comma pattern on his standard orb. He gritted his teeth as the chakra burned through his nerves, the blood oozing from the edge of his eye and imitated the whistle of a perched bird.

Expectedly, the boy reacted and shifted his gaze suspiciously and was ensnared by the ultimate genjutsu…

* * *

(**Within the World of Tsukuyomi**)

Naruto covered his eyes as the world around him exploded in red and black. He cautiously opened one eye and saw the sense of vertigo and painful shaking had ceased.

'_Where…am I?' _he wondered as he looked around, noticing the forest had vanished from sight. No…it wasn't gone; it was utterly destroyed.

His cerulean eyes expanded in shock as a cold fury crept through his veins.

"What the hell?" he hissed. He stood on a plateau, and all around him, as far as the eye could see, the field comprised itself of torn, uprooted and broken tree trunks. He gaped at the horrible sight and his heart started racing. He turned around and looked up at the Hokage Mountain and his jaw almost unhinged itself.

"It-it's gone…" he muttered as the once-proud monument was now a massive hole in the mountain, plumes of smoke rising from it. It was one thing to watch his comrades try to rebuild the ancient monument; it was another to see it violated quite so thoroughly.

'_Oh, no…the village…'_ he ruminated in alarm and ran as fast as he could. When the village came into sight, he couldn't help but pause in utter and total astonishment and despair. The legendary walls of the village were punctured, burning and decorated with dozens of bodies.

He cautiously crept closer and his heart constricted in his chest as he approached what used to be the guard booth.

"N-Neji?" he whispered and noticed his fellow rookie chuunin laying on his side, in a pool of his own blood, his body pierced and burned all over. He stepped on something, and it took all the constitution he had in his will not to get sick. "Shikamaru…"

The Nara's body, or what was left of it, had been frozen solid and shattered, the ice-encased gore quite painful to look at. He dry-heaved several times, his eyes moistening slightly as he noticed more chuunin and jounin he had seen around Konoha in various states of death.

'_This is…this is just a nightmare…'_ he grimly pondered and pinched himself. When that failed, he shut his eyes as he reached for his weapon's pouch and whipped out a kunai and cut himself. He opened his eyes but did not return to the same woods in which he had fallen asleep.

"Naruto…" a voice whispered behind him. He whirled around and found the visage of his father, the infamous Yondaime standing there, looking very somber and pensive. The man he had only seen in photographs and books also watched the devastating carnage in a reserved conduct.

He tried talking, but his throat tightened as a myriad of emotions filled him: relief, loneliness, happiness and fear all compacting into a suffocating chunk of misery that forcefully lodged itself into his heart. "D-dad?"

The ghost of legend spoke in a quiet, sad manner, "I sacrificed my life for a reason that stretches beyond loving you, Naruto. I granted you the power of the Kyuubi so you could one day protect yourself and our home."

Naruto felt his idol's words like a slap to the face and shame filled him to the brim "D-dad, I-I'm trying to! I have…b-but how could this have happened? W-what the hell is going on?" He ended his whispering with a hoarse shout.

"This is a premonition, son. This is one, and the most likely, of paths to Konoha's future," Minato sympathetically responded in a remorseful manner and walked up to Naruto until they stood only inches apart.

"I-I don't understand…" Naruto felt at a loss for words as his throat became awfully parched.

The Yondaime Hokage remained patient and smiled, guiding him to cross beyond the threshold of the village. "The upcoming war will be bloodier and more savage than ever before, son. The surviving ninja will meet in battle within Hi no Kuni. It is the hub of the continent, and the chaos will tear the continent apart. Those ninja who are captured will be executed or used for bloodline replication, the civilian women raped, and the bloodline kunoichi captured for breeding purposes, or…"

Naruto got the horrifying image of Ino struggling against multiple men that groped at her clothes and Hinata strapped to a table while someone leaned over her with a large needle. He clutched at his chest and shut his eyes. "No way! I-I mean, Ero- Kyoufu…Tsunade, Kakashi-sensei…they're all so strong! There's no way we could ever…there's no way I would let this happen! I'll die first…"

Minato's vibrant blue eyes closed as a sigh escaped his lips. "It…won't be enough. Even Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama will not be able to hold the lines when three hidden villages invade our lands. Our village won't have someone like Sarutobi in the First Shinobi World War, or someone like the White Fang and the Sannin in the Second, or someone like me in the Third…"

"B-but…" Naruto stammered, the sights tearing his heart asunder. His home continued to burn, the acrid and nauseating scent of rotten flesh and ash choking his windpipes as he drew breath. His eyes watered and the crushing helplessness closed upon him in all directions as he sank to his knees. "I…didn't make any difference at all…?"

His father didn't answer him, and he didn't have to. Naruto looked up, and the world around him started moving. He saw a horrible battle, acts of bravery amidst the strife, and then he saw himself, charging into combat, blazing with the hue of the fox's chakra.

His doppelganger's body regenerated from the wounds inflicted from kunai while his shadow clones ripped into the enemy at first, but then, everything started shaking violently, and he saw the visage of eight octopus tentacles flicking to his left and four monkey tails to his right. Then, a blurry shape moved through him and he caught sight of a shark like man with a massive sword just before it bashed its bandage covered blade into his clone's head and knocked it out.

Minato's serene voice permeated the cacophony. "I'm sorry, Naruto…but you just aren't strong enough. Konoha's enemies will not wait for you to grow strong, son. They will not hold back while you hide behind guard duty and basic linguistic and mathematical studies. You have to do something and grasp your destiny with your own hands."

"I-I…" Naruto faltered in resolve and tightly shut his eyes, attempting (but failing) to erase the images from his mind. He had nearly failed the mission in Waterfall only days ago. He kept on waiting for people to hold his hand and guide him and had stopped thinking for himself; he had all but stopped pushing his limits like he used to.

"I'm counting on you, Naruto," his father whispered in his ear and affectionately ruffled his hair. "I love you and trust you will make the difference you can make. I'll be smiling upon you when you earn the right to become...

"…to be a Hokage both your mother and I can be proud of…" Naruto openly cried now, feeling his father's goodbye in his tone.

Naruto called out for his father, but the world around him began to break, cracking like fragile glass. He shut his eyes once more to fend off the disorientation and, when he opened his eyes, he was back in the woods, in vibrant colors and shades once more.

He panted heavily and looked around him, eyes darting from side to side. His body trembled, and he knew he would never forget his father's words. Whether it was a dream or a premonition, he would protect the village and earn the belief of both of his parents…

He wouldn't fail!

* * *

(**The Following Morning, Streets of Konoha**)

Yamanaka Ino was not a happy kunoichi these days. Her training regime was getting harsher by the day. Her father had 'requested' that she should be handed over to his devices and had begun to personally train her in both the family arts and genjutsu, in general.

When her father delved in her mind or forced her to work on chakra control, she was pawned off between Kurenai and Gai. Her new teammates were Lee and Tenten as the Hyuuga had taken personal interest in training their 'precious' heiress, and she performed missions with them on occasion in a similar fashion to how things were with Naruto only months ago.

Oh, Hinata was kind, warm and cool enough on her own. But she spent entirely too much time with Naruto in that mansion of hers. She and Neji spent more time with her boyfriend than she did, for crying out loud! It was no secret how Hinata felt about Naruto back in the academy, and Ino was not entirely convinced their one blunder of a date could quash such a deep infatuation.

'_If she makes a move on my man, heiress or not__,__ I'll kick he ass from here to Kumogakure!' _Ino vowed and shook her fist.

Her eyelids slightly concealed her light blue eyes when she spun around and pointed at the figure behind her. "Oi, Shikamaru, I told you not to try and sneak up on me, anymore!"

The Shadow user sighed and lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "C'mon, Ino, you already beat it into my head that you're training to be a sensor already. I know you can sense me a mile away! Geez...you're so troublesome. I was just heading to the Hokage to drop off my mission report. Why are you skulking about, anyway?"

"I've been looking for Naruto all day. He promised to hook up with me yesterday and he forgot…again!" Whether or not she picked that choice of diction on purpose or by accident, Shikamaru couldn't tell. "Sometimes, I wonder why I put up with that goofball. Anyway, when I finally tracked down Kakashi, he told me he's been assigned to help Tsunade with her paperwork and filing for the next week or so."

The Nara made a thoughtful sound and shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Tough break for Naruto. He really hates paperwork. He must've really pissed off Kakashi-sensei …"

Ino miserably sighed as they walked in relative silence all the way to the Hokage tower. As they walked up the steps and approached Tsunade's office, they heard Naruto's voice ringing audibly.

"This is a waste of time, Tsunade-baachan!"

Tsunade's voice replied just as loud, followed by a hard thud. "Shut it, Squirt! I'm your Hokage and you _will_ listen to me!"

Ino looked uncertainly at Shikamaru as her boyfriend seemed intent on aggravating Tsunade. "How am I supposed to protect anyone when you won't let me train or let me go on missions? You're holding…"

"Maybe we should go save him…" Ino hesitantly proffered at the very moment Naruto flew out through the wall, rolling several times before he hit the other wall _hard_.

"You insolent, little brat! You'll do what I tell you, when I tell you! You want to train so badly? Eat some soldier pills and sleep less! Otherwise, stop dicking around with your punishment and go get the new mission reports from downstairs!"

Naruto grunted painfully and peeled himself off the floor. He turned to look at them, and Ino felt a bit self-conscious as his eyes seemed somewhat wide, like he was seeing her for the first time. "N-a-r-u-t-o! Are you cra—?"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off by his lips firmly crushing upon hers in a desperate kiss. His strong arms wrapped tightly around her and pressed her close. She froze in shock at first, her cheeks burning hotly before she melted against him and kissed back. Despite the abruptness of it, she had missed him dearly. Her heart raced and she felt that the area rose in temperature.

'_Now that's what I'm talking about!'_ she mentally cooed.

It ended entirely too quickly as Naruto pulled back and turned toward Shikamaru. She softly panted, her eyes a bit wide and glazed.

"Whoa, whoa! Don't even think about it, Naruto!" the lazy genius shouted while holding up his hands as an imaginary wall "I'm not _that_ happy to see you!" Hearing her teammate's comments made her chuckle as the sensuous high began to diminish.

Naruto smirked and blushed faintly and punched Shikamaru's shoulder and only whispered something that harbored no trace of malice. "Baka."

"Oi, I don't hear you walking away and obeying my orders, _Naruto_!" Tsunade hissed from her room and Ino cringed at the venom in the Hokage's tone.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Naruto replied a bit irritably and Shikamaru tilted his head and gingerly approached the door, preparing to knock. However, Ino's attention was distracted by Naruto grabbing her wrist and dragging her in the opposite direction.

She gripped his hands gently and ambled a bit faster to keep up with him, listening to him rant while silently wondering if her boyfriend was entirely sane. "Damn that cranky, old lady! She's got one mean right hook!"

Ino couldn't hold her curiosity any longer and spoke up. "Naruto! What's up with you? Are you nuts? What makes you think you can talk to Hokage-sama like that? Do you have a death wish, or something?"

"Who…Tsunade-baachan? We've got an understanding, she and I, so it's cool. We shout and call each other names all the time!" Naruto said flippantly as they started scaling down the stairs.

Ino blinked, her eyebrows furrowing as she elbowed him rather hard. "Be serious, Naru-kun! Stop teasing me!"

He exhaled sharply and glared at her. "I'm not lying to you, Ino-chan! Apparently, we're related many times removed 'n all that. So, when we're alone, we're non-formal, though she still pulls rank and doesn't pull punches when she feels I get too cheeky!" He chortled, rubbing his cheek to curtail the phantom pain.

Ino quirked a suspicious brow. "Seriously? Well…I guess with all the celebrities hovering around you, golden boy, I shouldn't be _too_ surprised…"

Naruto bumped her with his hip. "Even though you look hot in just about anything, Ino-chan, green does not suit you," he jested and put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He was being awfully affectionate…not that she minded, of course.

Ino pulled away a bit when they reached the ground level and Naruto led her into a large room. "You know, Naru-kun, you've been awfully busy this past month…and this is the first time we've seen each other in a while." Her insecurities came to the forefront. "Should I be worried? You do spend an awful lot of time…"

Naruto abruptly broke away from her to head over to an older chuunin kunoichi she didn't recognize and she displayed to Naruto what Ino could only describe as a brilliant, but flirtatious, smile. Naruto nodded at the woman and flashed a brief smile in return before Naruto heaved a massive pile of papers and dejectedly turned toward her.

"Hey, I was talking to you…" Ino reproached him as he maneuvered past her and exited, forcing her to follow. "You know, I'm feeling neglected. We barely talk, anymore, and you're surrounded by all these pretty kunoichi, so, should I be worried…?"

Naruto sighed and his shoulders sagged a bit. "C'mon, Ino. What's with all this all of a sudden? I told you I've been rotating back-to-back guard shifts and training in the free time I have left. It's not like I'm _trying_ to avoid you…It's just…I—"

"—don't have time?" She asked him, filling in the hanging pause of his response while feeling utterly crestfallen. Her spirits somewhat fell. Would she always play second fiddle to his responsibilities? After all, his rise was most likely going to be magnificent, but here she stood…as normal as the next shinobi in training.

She felt Naruto clam up beside her and he turned to look at her, his face the mask of regret. "Look, I'm sorry, Ino-chan! I've had a lot of responsibilities lately, but I'll get the hang of it soon, and then I'll…"

Ino sniffled lightly to interrupt her fellow blond from making an empty promise.

'_Damn it! This isn't fair!'_

"N-no, save it! I-I understand…and it's not going to get any better. If anything, it'll only get worse. It's just…we used to spend so much time together and now…"

"I know, I know," Naruto uttered, feeling the same in that regard. "I've really missed you these last couple of weeks, you know, and I know this totally blows! But, even though I'd love to promise you I'll always make time for you like I want to…all I can do is try to work harder and longer to earn more free time. I told you already how Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei are really getting on my case, being the Jinchuuriki and son of the Yondaime and all that."

She bit her lower lip and sighed, all her anger deflating in one fell swoop. He sounded just as miserable as she was about the situation, and he did say he 'wanted' to spend more time with her constantly and he missed her…and not the Hyuuga heiress or that big-racked chuunin receptionist!

A soft cough followed by a female voice cut into her thoughts, as well as what promised to be a soft kiss as her face came closer to Naruto's. "Naruto-kun, I don't mean to interrupt, but I suggest you'd better hurry up. Tsunade-sama is up to her second bottle of sake…"

Naruto stole a kiss before Ino could react and bolted up. "Sorry, but duty calls! I'll make it up to you as soon as I can, Ino-chan!" he called out as he climbed up the stairs, just out of the blonde's sight.

She shook her head and felt her lips twist into a wide smile. He had that effect on her; he always made her laugh and smile, even after he made her angry or sad, but the nagging doubt still gnawed at her from within.

'_Can I keep up with you, Naru-kun? Or will I forever watch your back? I'm not sure if I'm cut out for always being in second place…'_

She turned to leave when the Hokage's aide, Shizune, called her and caught her attention.

"Yamanaka-san, it's good I caught you, Gai-san came in her earlier and took a mission for your team, and I think you should go pack. If I'm not mistaken, it's outside of the village…"

Ino nodded and thanked her, but inwardly groaned. She didn't mind Tenten at all. The weapons mistress was cool and kind to her, and, as a plus, she helped her out from time to time. However, that didn't offset having to live with the Lee and Gai combination for more than a day, and that was…troublesome.

'_Damn…Now I've caught Shikamaru's whining catch phrase!'_

* * *

(**At the same time, office of the Raikage, Storm Pylon kage complex, Kumogakure**)

Ei, the Yondaime Raikage, was not a happy Kage, nowadays. He silently sat in his office, glaring into space and thin air. His large hand massaged his chin and occasionally stroked his small beard thoughtfully. His plan had been executed flawlessly; Sunagakure was finished, and yet, he couldn't help but feel his victory was far from complete.

He knew Konoha well; his village had clashed with theirs on many occasions. His father had always scoffed at their peace-mongering kage and their pre-disposition to show mercy to the enemy. While Tsunade, the legendary medic, had disappeared for nearly two decades, he had no doubt she was cut from the same cloth.

So, the question he and his intelligence corps were wondering was the following: where did Suna's survivors go? Their village was gone, their nation was demilitarized from ninja and now under the command of the daimyo's samurai and the responsibilities over the Wind daimyo's mission load was split four ways between the lesser villages to prevent a clash between the Great Four.

They had to be alive; there was no way Konoha would execute dozens of people, and, most definitely, not under the Senju clan's more lenient ruling philosophy. His instincts initially told him to prepare for marauders and terrorists picking on his forces and nations, since that was the logical conclusion: that they would seek bloody vengeance. So, why were they laying low?

He was about to mull over the situation further when the door to his office was forcefully opened. His eyes widened and his lips tightened at the sight before him. A muddy, bleeding Darui was haphazardly being held by his assistant.

The silver haired female seemed to buckle slightly under the elite jounin's weight. She seemed uncomfortable by the sludge and blood caking her formal attire from Darui's wounds but she remained calm though her voice was strained slightly. "R-Raikage-sama. I tried to get Darui-san to seek medical attention first, but…"

"Raikage-sama…" Darui interjected, cutting her off, "your brother, Kirabi, was uncooperative, to say at least. I tried to reason with him, but he made it clear to me that he had no intention of returning for a while."

Ei shut his eyes slightly, his teeth clenching as every muscle in his body stiffened. It took a lot for him to hold in the outburst welling within him.

"Did he tell you why…?" he carefully asked, aware that his assistant eyed him warily. They both knew what was coming next.

Darui grimaced and shakily stood straight. He had hoped his baby brother wouldn't be obstinate this time and that Darui, one of his most powerful and respectable ninja, would be able to reason with him. He had once again underestimated his brother's flippancy. "He said he didn't really care about what was done in Sunagakure and that he needed the vacation to…'take care' of some things but wouldn't elaborate."

He couldn't help it anymore. He smashed his fist into his desk to vent his fury and felt a brief flicker of satisfaction as the wood caved in and exploded under his strength. His voice came out fast and loud as he shook his fists, his eyes a bit wide. "I can't believe him! Why that…Ooooh…When I get my hands on him I'm going to…!"

"Is this a bad time, Raikage-sama?" a different voice softly interjected. He shifted his gaze to the buxom and scantily clad form of Samui, the fair skinned, platinum blonde's cool eyes flickering with a brief gleam of mirth.

"No! I-It's fine. Darui, you did your best, so go rest. My brother will eventually slink back here, and then, I'll deal with him…one way or another…" Ei promised in a foreboding manner before he turned around and faced the windows of his office.

He looked down at the village below; the sight of his proud nation always helped soothe his ire. "Report, then, Samui," he barked out a bit tiredly as he felt the telltale signs of a headache forming.

She spoke quietly, her soft voice almost a whisper, "The daimyo refuses to negotiate over loosening the sanctions, Raikage-sama. He is adamant about 'punishing' us for acting as we did for the time being, I'm sorry…I could not convince him, otherwise…"

Ei shrugged and crossed his arms under his chest, bowing his head slightly. "Tch…I honestly didn't think otherwise, Samui. That snarky little bastard always had it against Father and I. He's a wishy-washy politician, and he'll always cover his own ass with the other daimyo first."

"However, I did learn something of great interest," Samui meaningfully supplied.

Ei shifted his glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing and brows furrowing. "I happened to come across the Wind daimyo's delegation on my way back. Apparently, said feudal lord is displeased that, and I quote: 'arrogant fan-fetish freak of a daimyo stole away his ninja.'"

The Raikage was still for a moment, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

He inwardly hummed as he mulled it over. _'How very clever of you, tree-huggers…'_

That tidbit of knowledge complicated things; Leaf would no doubt eventually be privy to the secrets of the former Sunagakure. He hadn't weakened Konoha. Instead, he had strengthened them! No doubt those former Suna-ninja would hold a grudge against Kumo and take the chance for revenge via serving under his primary rival hidden village.

"Samui, after you've rested, I have another mission for you," Ei stated with purpose, his hand rising to stroke his beard lightly.

"At your command, Raikage-sama…" She obediently replied.

"I want you to contact either Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi of the Leaf; preferably, the snake. I have a business proposition for either one."

Samui's body stiffened behind him; he could feel it in the tone of her voice, but she was composed and professional, as always, when she asked quietly, "How can we trust them? Personally, I don't have faith in either of them; they're known traitors and backstabbers…"

"I never said I plan to collaborate with either of them. You know well how much nuke-nin disgust me and how little I trust such cowardly fools! But, in this case, I am in need of information they both no doubt hold close to their chests. As you're aware, our intelligence on Konoha's elite is grossly outdated. We've kept our distance from them ever since the Hyuuga incident, and any and all our spies have disappeared, courtesy of Shimura Danzou's interference, no doubt. I, for one, don't intend to let us be surprised when the war comes."

"But, wouldn't convening with Ishimaru or, perhaps, Hanzou be preferable? Their forces did survive the clash and have firsthand experience with both the Sand and the Leaf."

"At this point, we're under increased scrutiny by both the daimyo and other villages. Any action which stinks of a collusion or alliance between us and another village would most likely end in war. I can't afford to make another gamble like we did with Suna, anytime soon. No…nuke-nin will have to do for now."

Samui murmured her acquiescence and excused herself, leaving Ei to contemplate things. _'Brother, come back soon…our village…I need you.'_

* * *

(**That Afternoon, Commercial District, Kirigakure**)

Sakura shivered slightly as she walked through the busy streets of the marketplace in Kirigakure's mercantile district. The weather was always cold, the wind was always harsh and the people all seemed somber and busy. The atmosphere was understandably dreary in Mizu no Kuni; decades of internal strife had taught people caution and paranoia.

It was truly like another world in comparison to the pampered and 'happy-go-lucky' attitude civilians in Hi no Kuni held.

It had only been three days since Terumi Mei had released her and had her medical ninja treat her. Her body was thinner and weaker from the captivity, and it would take a while to regain her previous strength and speed._ 'Danzou-yarou was right about one thing: I do miss his metabolism pills. I could use several of them right about now…'_

Her ever helpful alter-ego piped up, in a chipper tone. _"Well…at least they're glaring at everyone, even their own ninja…so at least nobody is scorning us here. Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?"_

Sakura sighed as she slipped into her apartment building. It was a humble three story complex, with one apartment on each floor. She had yet to meet her 'neighbors' and had only today found her first stipend, which had enough to buy groceries and basic hygiene products for the week.

She felt even more naked without her weapons than she did in her ill-fitting summer clothing without any weapon to protect herself…especially in foreign territory. Her equipment had been confiscated by the authorities, though Mei had said she would get them back at some point.

She lived on the topmost floor, and as she made her way up the stairs, she saw a figure standing in front of her door. Her emerald eyes narrowed a fraction and she quirked a slender brow questioningly at the individual.

He was around her age, give or take; his white hair was shoulder long with a light-blue tint to it. His eyes were an exotic, purple shade, and he wore a matching sleeveless shirt with gray pants. He had a belt around his waist with water bottles attached to it, and another belt around his chest. He shot her a grin and returned the gesture, revealing that all of his teeth were razor sharp.

He glibly spoke and stood up straight. "Oi, I was wondering if you were dead or something! You're not a very neighborly person, are you? You could've dropped by and say hello at least once in the last three days, ya know what I mean?"

"I could say the same thing about you, couldn't I?" She countered cautiously, inwardly hoping he didn't want to fight as she would hate to nearly starve if some of her supplies would be spoiled. "You're not wearing a forehead protector either, so I take it you're not a ninja?"

His grin widened a bit and he opened the door; revealing that he had broken into her apartment earlier. "Aren't you going to invite me inside if you're going all 'inquisitor' on me? My, my, you tree-huggers have no manners…"

'_Stop fretting, dear. The big breasted, red-haired twat wouldn't let anything happen to us. They need us as bait__,__ so ease down. If this is to be our home__,__ we have to open up to people…somewhat…" _

Sakura was still suspicious but nodded at him wordlessly and slipped into her 'apartment.'

"Haruno Sakura," she introduced herself and delicately placed her provisions on the small counter in her kitchen, her hands unnoticeably twitching. What she would do for a kunai, right about now… "But you already know that, don't you?"

The sharp toothed interloper spoke coolly, "I do, I do. I'm Houzuki Suigetsu, and I was told Yakushi Kabuto has his eyes on you. Is that true?"

"Coffee or tea?" Sakura asked evasively as she poured some tap water into the kettle. Glancing at him over her shoulder discreetly, her lips twitched slightly as she caught his eyes flash angrily. She had learned the hard way that goading people was greatly more lucrative than being goaded, herself. It taught you so much about your conversation partner/potential enemy.

"Tea…" he hissed behind her and they were both silent for a tense couple of minutes, only disturbed by the sound of the whistling kettle, poured water and the clinging of the spoon against the glasses. She handed him his cup and led him to the small couch which consisted of her 'guest room' and sat beside him.

"Kabuto seems intent on contacting me at some point in the future, yes…So, what's it to you?" Sakura evenly queried, eyeing the tension in the teen's face and the barely constrained violence in his eyes.

"I'm going to fucking kill him! That's what's it to me! That son of a bitch is linked to Orochimaru! So, I'm gonna kill both of them!" He spat out loudly, his eyes gleaming with compacted murder.

'_When opportunity comes a-knocking…'_ Sakura pondered and her lips twisted into a small smile.

She feigned flippancy and asked offhandedly, "Oh? That's a pretty ambitious goal, Suigetsu-san. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin…and not an easy opponent, at all. How do you plan on beating someone as dangerous as he?"

Suigetsu grinned a bit evilly, "I'm going to become one of the Swordsmen of the Mist. When the time comes, I'll be ready. I'll slice that yellow-eyed bastard…"

"I see…" Sakura pretended to mull over something. She couldn't afford to be excitable or rash, anymore; every time she had in the past led to great peril and loss. Damn that man to the burning hells, but that son of a bitch, Danzou, was right! She had to remain as cold as ice and calculating if she wanted to survive; with her inner persona's help, she would be damned if she let her outbursts ruin her life again.

It was time for her to stop being a puppet and be a kunoichi. She would begin now, by 'working' this shinobi. "Perhaps we can come to an arrangement, then. It so happens I have a grudge of my own, and I could use all the help I can get to finish it, especially since Mizukage-sama doesn't trust me, and I have nobody to train with…"

The Last of the Houzuki clan seemed absolutely curious. "Oh? You seem a bit young and green to be making enemies, Sakura, but, I'll bite. Who do you want help killing?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, the one I 'fondly' call 'Crimson-eyes,'" she revealed in a cool manner.

Suigetsu blinked, snorted and suddenly burst into howling laughter. She bristled and felt her ire building, her chakra spiking a few levels and her teeth gnashed.

'_How he dare laugh at us!'_ both sides of her echoed angrily within their joint mind.

He held his stomach. "Are you serious?" the strange boy clipped as he managed to gain back his breath. "What kind of lame name is 'Crimson eyes?' The guy's a demon host, and has a bazillion nicknames in the bingo book, and the best one you can come up with is that?"

Sakura pouted slightly and bit her lip.

'_He's got a point…'_ she thought and chuckled softly, feeling the humor bleed out the tension, even if it was directed at her.

Suigetsu then sipped the tea in one long gulp. "I like it. Uzumaki Naruto's your old village's new rising star. The son of the Yellow Flash, the last of the Uzumaki clan, the bijuu crusher, and all that shit! If I help kill him, I'll be able to make a name for myself…"

She grinned, her mind racing as she had struck her very first alliance within Kirigakure and with someone she now realized was a brother of one of the deceased Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Houzuki Mangetsu was one of the fiercest of the seven, and she could feel his brother's chakra pool. He would become strong…_very_ strong.

"It's settled, then, I'll help you kill Orochimaru, and you'll help me kill the Kyuubi. But, there is one little problem…"

Suigetsu tilted his head questioningly. "Nobody will train me; I'll be a burden on you, unless I'm properly honed and strong enough to help you…"

The sharp toothed shinobi grinned in a feral manner. "That shouldn't be a problem, Sakura. I'll hook you up with someone really strong. Even though that crazy red-headed shrew who calls herself the Mizukage doesn't seem to trust me, I've still got some friends here through my brother I can call upon. Just keep your part of the bargain…"

* * *

**Jutsu Library:**

Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Drowning Technique - This jutsu will gather a large amount of water to form a large spiraling stream of water. It can be guided to strike a target in a number of angles  
Doton: Tsuchi Bushin - Earth Release: Rock Clone - The jutsu will create a one or more solid dopplegangers made of solid stone to fight for the user  
Suiton: Suiben -Water Release: Water Whip - The user creates a whip of water that can wrap around the opponent. The user can also funnel lightning through the whip and shock said ensnared opponent.  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Technique - The User marks his palm with blood before making the appropriate seals. Depending on the amount of chakra expended the user will summon a familar of varying power from his contracted clan  
Gatsuuga - Fang Passing Fang - The Inuzuka and his/her partner in beast clone mode will spin around in ferocious speed and deliver many beast-like blows upon contact with the target.  
Fuuton: Daitoppa - Wind Release: Great Breakthrough - This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight  
Tsukuyomi - Tsukuyomi is one of the most powerful genjutsu in existence. It is unique to the Uchiha clan and only those with the Mangekyō Sharingan can perform it. It is said to represent the "Spiritual World and Darkness". Tsukuyomi requires eye contact to be performed. When executed, the jutsu traps the target in an illusion that is completely controlled by the user


	3. 2: Help comes in many shapes and forms

**Disclaimer: The Naruto Franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, 'Shounen Jump' and other affiliated companies with intellectual property rights over the franchise.**

**

* * *

A/N:**

1) Special thanks to **DarkHeroOrion**, his masterful beta work continues to inspire me. I'm trying to emulate some of his tips as time goes, hopefully he'll continue to help me grow more as an author as time progresses. Hopefully he'll get writing again soon so we can all enjoy his work and not just his 'behind the scene' work on fixing mine.

2) I want to thank all the reviewers, the good and the bad, I know many of you questioned some of my actions in 'The Point of Divergence' especially regarding Naruto's attitude and Sakura's treatment, but all things will eventually come full circle and I thank those who stuck with me this long, even though many of you have doubts.

3) I'm going to have a rather hectic semester (starts today!), so I'm not sure when or how my update pace will be in the following months. But I will do my best to update when I can. Wish me luck everyone!

Now, Read, Review and most importantly - Enjoy!

**

* * *

Japanese Word Glossary**

Youton – Lava Release  
Jinchuuriki – Power of Human Sacrifice – Nickname for the Bijuu containers  
Iwa – Stone  
Iwagakure – Hidden Stone  
Konoha - Leaf  
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf  
Kiri – Mist  
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist  
Bijuu – Tailed Beast/s  
Youki – Evil Energy  
Yonbi – Four Tails  
Hachibi – Eight Tails  
Kyuubi – Nine Tails  
Shikaku – Assassin  
Tenketsu – Chakra Points  
Baachan – Granny  
Kumo - Cloud  
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud  
Boufuudoki – Wrath of the Gales  
Nami no Kuni – Wave Country  
Touton no jutsu - Jiraiya's invisibility technique

**

* * *

(Training Ground Alpha, Feet of the active Volcano Satsuma, Iwagakure)**

Sumiko panted softly as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her forearm. She lightly squinted as she looked upward. It was midday, and the Sun's unyielding, blistering rays bathed her in sacrilegious light. Her clothes were soaked with perspiration and clung to her skin disgustingly and, in some places, _uncomfortably._

Her sensei had chosen this area to help her master her Youton element. He had briefly instructed her to feel the lava and grasp it with her mind. It was fitting that such an infamously infuriating man as him would choose to frustrate her by so 'eloquently' explaining in that bitter tone.

So, that was how she spent the last two weeks; baking in the sun, choking on the putrid vapors of Mt. Satsuma. In such a pitiful state, any kunoichi had only one option left. Beg."Roushi-sensei, can we take a break? _Please_?"

The Last of Iwa's Jinchuuriki snorted. "No. Now, concentrate!" he harshly barked. The green-eyed princess gritted her teeth and snapped her head in his direction, glaring at him with impotent rage.

He wore a large headpiece consisting of a three-pointed crown-like ridge, bearing both his Iwagakure forehead protector and ring, and a prominent black piece of armor running across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. His headgear did nothing to conceal the cocky smirk that spread over the aging man's lips.

The man's spiky red hair was tied in a standing pony tail. He dressed himself in a long-sleeved, purple shirt and pants, with clashing brown armor. He attire finished out with a bag tied around his waist, most likely containing ninja tools.

She turned her body fully toward him, her temper frayed by being treated like excrement…no…something even lowlier than that.

"No," she stated in a low, dangerous manner. "I don't care how horrible the village treated you when you were young. Nor do I particularly care how much of a nuisance having to train me has been. You _will_ treat me with respect, Roushi."

The bearded shinobi tilted his head at her. "Will I, now? How, exactly, do you intend to make me do that, _princess_?" He drawled, one of his bushy brows quirking slightly while his mouth twisted into a sneer.

The brunette kunoichi slapped together her hands, her chakra spreading around her. He may have insisted she wasted her time 'feeling' the earth, but at night, when he slept, she trained herself to the point of near exhaustion. She was a proud princess of Iwa; she would not be held back by this scruffy and shaggy…fool!

_'Like this!'_

The earth ominously trembled moments before the ground exploded around her, the fury of the mountain gushing around her in all its searing glory. The magmatic substance swirled around her before she threw both of her hands forward.

"Finally, you've caught on, pathetic child," his scornful 'compliment' rang through her ears, doing little to defuse the situation. The man uncrossed his arms and pointing one palm toward the rushing wave of destruction.

Her mandible almost unhinged itself as he stopped her attack with his offhanded gesture, her slender eyebrows flying close to her hairline. She unconsciously felt a shiver run down her spine. Upon closer examination, noticing for all his ridicule, he was not actually having such an easy time. The man's eyes, usually a dull brown, began to take on an eerie, scarlet hue.

_'Oh__,__ no…'_ she thought and watched in rapt horror, trepidation and anxiety filling her body as the bubbling, burgundy youki started wrapping around his limbs.

**"Now****,**** defend yourself!"** the elder ninja thundered.

She took a step back and threw both hands forward.

Her mind raced for a solution as the wave of liquid fire closed in on her position. She spread her hands apart, thrusting her essence in front of her and watched with some satisfaction (as well as soul-shattering relief) as the wave split in the middle, harmlessly passing around her.

_'Are you out of your mind? You could've killed me!'_ she pondered in dread, though she dared to never voice her displeasure…not with how the man seemed to struggle with his bijuu.

**"I never said we were done!"** Roushi hissed and made some hand seals, the burning substance around him beginning to violently swirl and froth like a rising foam. It shifted and mutated, finally assuming the shape of a dragon's head.

The maws of the beast opened wide right before it raced over to her.

She knew a scant few Youton ninjutsu, and those were the ones her cousin, Kurotsuchi, had shared with her when they trained together. She quickly rushed through the hand seals, ignoring the intense sensation in her throat as she roughly exhaled, pushing out a thin, furiously fast flow of magma from her lips.

The attack plowed through the dragon's mouth and slammed into Roushi. She heard the jinchuuriki scream in raw agony as it covered his body. She breathed out hard, and her body trembled with adrenaline, fear and relief as his attack dissipated.

"R-Roushi-sensei?" she shakily inquired.

The reply wasn't verbal; it was a sound which was half-growl, half-howl. A massive explosion rocked the entire area, forcing the young woman to unceremoniously drop to the ground. Using raw earth manipulation, she erected a concave barrier to cover her.

She nervously bit her lower lip, shutting her eyes and gripping the ground beneath her with her chakra. Just as the cataclysm subsided and successfully stopped her body from being swept away, her body stiffened.

"R-Roushi-sensei?" Sumiko fretfully piped up, once more.

Iwa's conceited princess felt a malevolent presence approach her and crossed her arms just in time to block a massive, iridescent, red fist. The knuckle comprised itself of an ethereal construct of demonic essence roughly the size of her body, threateningly pulsating around Roushi's own digits.

She cried out in pain, her body catapulting backward. The sense of vertigo and wind whooshing around stopped when she slammed into an upturned slab of stone. She choked when the demonic hand pinned her to the chunk of debris. She looked death in the face; Roushi's eyes now blazed like an otherworldly crimson flame.

Her panic shot through the roof. _'No! Somebody help me…Help me!'_

She shut her eyes, whipping and pushing her chakra around her while screaming. It was as if something unlocked inside her; she felt a soothing, tremulous power flow from deep inside her and expand through every fiber of her being.

She opened her eyes, and, if she had gotten surprised before, it paled next to what she witnessed at that critical moment. A glowing blue hue surrounded her arms and upper body. Her jade orbs caressed every contour of her frame with quick glances, before she looked forward, taking in the gleaming, thread-shaped strands of chakra that had extended from her arms.

There, twenty feet away, was Roushi, wrapped in the flickering confines, writhing in agony as her chakra restrained and pushed down the Yonbi's youki.

Disbelief slowly crept up Sumiko's flummoxed visage. "W-What the…what's happening to me?"

**

* * *

(Several Days Later, Hyuuga Mansion, Konohagakure)**

Hyuuga Hinata showed off a wide smile and covered her mouth as she giggled. Working with multiple Naruto clones was like observing a demented circus act that went horribly wrong. The clones _never_ got along when they weren't fighting. It was true that Naruto's manners and behavior had improved greatly, but only when he was among superiors or elders; however, when they were alone…

One Naruto clone glared daggers at the brush in his hand. His hand was stained with ink and his eyebrow dangerously twitched.

"Hina-chan," the clone whispered angrily, trying his hardest not to blow his top, "no offense, but do we really have to do this _every_ time I come here? Th-this is so…so _boring_!"

"Yeah!" an identical tone piped in a suffering, bitter mumble. "Hina-chan, why am I doing this calligraphy training…_again_?"

"Hey!" a third voice venomously interjected, hissing impatiently at a conversation-like volume. "It's for fuuinjutsu, so stop complaining, you lazy bastards!"

"Now, now, stop it…all of you," Hinata finally commanded firmly. "You've gotten much better, Naruto-kun, so no complaining." She crossed her hands beneath her breasts and eyed them critically. All three clones and their two counterparts had the decency to look sheepish before they resumed their practicing.

"Hai, Hina-san!" they all obediently crowed and saluted in an overly exaggerated manner. She shook her head and wordlessly activated her Byakugan, observing the rest of Naruto's clones endlessly toil.

One group of five clones was located in the country yard. Two of them worked on what appeared to be wind nature manipulation, the air around them contorting and spinning in various manners. The other three stood on the surface of the Hyuuga's private pool and worked on water nature manipulation.

Naruto was very forthcoming and helpful when it came to helping her with controlling water. His tips were unorthodox, but very effective. She wondered who taught him such advanced manipulation techniques, but he remained tight-lipped about his secrets.

She didn't mind, for her own progress was moving along at a very advanced pace. Her nature manipulation instruction was overseen by Kurenai-sensei, who apparently specialized in Suiton ninjutsu alongside her genjutsu. Getting an augment from Naruto's useful tips here and there, and she was improving very nicely.

Furthermore, her father had asked her great-aunt, Kei, to assist her. Apparently, the elder Hyuuga of the branch had, in her prime, modified the Juuken to fit the female physique. The style was more about speed, flexibility and precious strikes to vital organs and veins than blasting the tenketsu. It was called the Shikaku-fu, as it was a style meant for quick, brief bursts of battle.

In the meantime, Neji trained under Hiashi and Kurenai and kept on progressing rapidly. His Juuken-fu proficiency evolved rather magnificently, and blending his sharp Byakugan eyes with Kurenai's genjutsu proved to be a most beneficial combination. Finally, he collected tips from Kakashi-sensei and Genma about manipulating lightning nature chakra, his ninjutsu abilities also benefitting from the use of the Byakugan.

She winced sympathetically as her kekkei genkai revealed the spar between Neji and Naruto; more particularly, her cousin smashing his palms into Naruto's body and sending him crashing into one of the trees in the yard outside the manor. _'Ouch…'_

The two sparred regularly, both fighting with a ferocity and vigor that was breathtaking to witness. Naruto rose to his feet and glared at Neji, muttering choice words before charging once more.

She wondered if she was the only one fascinated by Naruto's rapid growth. She noticed some older members of the main family kept watching Naruto whenever he visited with their own set of 'all-seeing eyes.'

Her father had also started acting weird whenever Naruto arrived as a guest. He kept popping from out of nowhere whenever Naruto was about to talk about his training in depth, and she wondered if there was more to his very strict stipulations on what Naruto could or could not do on Hyuuga grounds than just preserving their property. She pushed the thought aside when she helped one of the clones adjust its grip on the brush.

Her mind wandered once she finished. Despite their one, romantic outing all those months ago turning out to be a disaster, it did little to dislodge her awe and affection toward the last Uzumaki. If anything, training and helping him with his studies on an almost daily basis had broken down the barrier between them, back then. If only he wasn't dating Ino…

She tried to push the thought away, but got distracted when an explosion suddenly erupted from outside. She was sure every Byakugan in the complex ignited at once.

"Sorry! False alarm!" Naruto suddenly cried out. He temporarily called off his spar with Neji in order to rush into the mansion. "S-Sorry. I think one of my clones went a bit overboard. B-but he didn't ruin anything…I think."

"N-Naruto-kun? What was that?"

Neji followed his sparring partner, though he looked far less alarmed and far more resigned. "Naruto," he began as he rubbed his temples, "didn't Hiashi-sama make it clear that you're _not_ supposed to use ninjutsu on Hyuuga lands? The last time you did, you killed all the koi fish. Then, there was that time you accidently cut down those trees…"

Naruto glowered at Neji. "Hey, those _were_ accidents!" he roared in defense. "And I paid you…with interest! And that…well, technically, I wasn't training _on_ Hyuuga land. I think I might have damaged some of your trees again, though…"

Hinata owlishly blinked before she delicately sniggered.

"N-Naruto-kun…" she murmured. She wondered what happened to Naruto, lately. Several days ago, when he came to visit, he was very…expressive with how happy he was to see his two Hyuuga peers.

She almost blushed at the thought of him being so familiar with her by embracing her. A rosy tint graced her pale cheeks before Naruto turned fully to Neji, who displayed a smug smirk.

"Should I inform our friends to wear battle armor when we go on missions with you?" he asked with hidden mirth, clearly not concealing his snarky grin. "I'd hate to be blown up because of your enthusiasm."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and indignantly waved his hands. "I blow up the shed in _one_ D-rank mission! One D-rank mission and they never forget it!"

"Uzumaki-san," Hiashi interjected from behind Naruto and Neji, a smirk on his lips and a single eyebrow curiously creased, "for the record, that was the blacksmith's tool shed, and he had to close the shop for a week for the repairs."

Naruto jumped and whirled around, glaring at Hiashi, and deeply inhaling before his sudden outburst.

"Oi! What's it with you Hyuuga and sneaking up on your guests?" he exclaimed before he could catch himself. Then, he paled and looked mortified by who 'accosted' him and became the unwarranted target of his ire.

Hiashi's eyelids closed around his pupil-less white eyes a slight amount, though his lips twitched. "Perhaps, if you had not been shouting so loudly, you would've heard me approach, Uzumaki-san."

She bit back a chortle at the expression Naruto wore when he apologized nervously. "S-sorry, Hyuuga-sama,"

Hiashi made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "It's fine. I would expect no better from the son of the Bloody Red Habanero. Now, do you care to explain to me why, exactly, are there upturned trees on the road leading to the manor, Uzumaki-_san_?"

She shared an amused glance with Neji when Naruto bellowed a tense laugh.

"Um…well…you said I couldn't train _on_ Hyuuga land, so I trained…around it…" he supplied rather helplessly.

Her father heaved a long sigh and shook his head, lightly rubbing his right temple to ease the onset of a migraine. "If you're entirely done with abusing my property, Uzumaki-san, I think it's time you leave. If I'm not mistaken, you have an appointment with Hokage-sama, soon."

Then, as quickly as he came, Hiashi left right after he shared a small bow with the resident jinchuuriki, leaving Naruto to gaze a bit into space and dejectedly mumble something about 'poor Gama-chan' and how a 'baachan' is never going to let him live down the humiliation.

Neji patted him on the back. "I guess I'll buy lunch next time, Naruto. I'd hate for you to starve," he said bemusedly and greeted him a good night.

She was left alone with Naruto, soft popping sounds behind her signaling his clones dispelling themselves. She couldn't help but blush and smile a bit when Naruto looked at her with sincerity. "Hina-chan, you're the only one who doesn't abuse me!"

"I-I…well," she stammered a bit, trying to fight down the heat on her cheeks and breathe deeply to stop her heart from pounding so hard in her chest. His antics were entertaining as they were touching, and she couldn't fight down the small beam she wore, even if she tried.

"I guess I better go before Tsunade-sama has a fit. It's not fair sometimes; I always get lorded over by blondes! They're a menace, I tell you! So violent and pushy…Gah, I'm going to be late again!"

"See ya next time, Hina-chan! Thanks for the help!" He chirped and bowed slightly before taking off at a brisk pace.

When he left, her shoulders slumped a bit and fixedly stared at his back. He was true to his namesake, a whirlwind that kept on wreaking havoc on her. Pushing down her laments and the thoughts of his scent, good looks and adorable expressions, she shook her head slightly.

Those errant thoughts would be the death of her. She cleared her mind, though a smile tugged at her lips and remained there when she approached her room to retire for the evening.

**

* * *

(At the same time, Wood land area, Lightning Country)**

A light huff escaped Jiraiya's lips as he observed his quarry from the lens of his telescope. Several dozen feet ahead of him, lying in the shade against a tree trunk was a massive, dark-skinned swordsman. The man was napping peacefully, a pencil in his mouth and a book in his lap.

His invisibility jutsu came in handy when following someone as dangerous as the Hachibi Jinchuuriki. It was…enlightening, observing the Kumo shinobi. The one known as Kirabi alternated between being comically absurd and being bone-chillingly dangerous. It would seem all Bijuu hosts were doomed to don figurative masks to conceal themselves.

The toad sennin had not exactly divulged the full contents of his current endeavor to Tsunade. Something told him that if he did, he might come close to death for the second time in his life. He planned on taking a great leap of faith and gamble with more than just his life…_much_ more. Chronologically, he had concentrated his spying efforts on Konohagakure's premier, rival village, ever since embarking on his long-term spying mission.

He had contacted and reassigned his agents' priorities right under the Raikage's nose, had intoxicated and interrogated some Kumo kunoichi with his wiles and now planned on taking one small detour before embarking on his way to his next destination.

Jiraiya decided on his usual entrance; there was no point in trying to conceal his identity with genjutsu or disguises. He needed his target to know who he was if he was to achieve his goal. He discreetly approached, soundlessly leaping from branch to branch. He dispelled his Touton Jutsu.

_'I'm getting too old for these things…'_ he wearily contemplated, rubbing his face once before he moved to bite his thumb.

He smeared the crimson liquid on his palm and leaped off the branch while running through hand seals. He expelled the appropriate amount of chakra for a mid-sized toad summon. He crossed his arms under his chest and shut his eyes as the massive orange amphibian landed heavily on the ground, causing a gentle tremor upon impact.

An annoyed, somewhat bitter voice escaped Kirabi, though he made no motion to change his position, except for the heavy yawn that broke open his lips. "Hey…why'd you do that, ya' old creep? It ain't nice to disturb a guy's sleep. What'cha want with me, anyway? I ain't got time to talk or play…"

Jiraiya's left eyebrow violently twitched. _'Why you…I won't let you ruin my entrance!' _

The Legendary Ninja then performed his infamous wild hermit dance. He hopped on her right foot four times, twirled and entered a dramatic pose. "I am Myoubokuzan's Gama-sennin, also known as Jiraiya-sama of the Sannin!"

The elder ninja's eyes shrank to slits when he watched Kirabi sit up suddenly and pick the pencil that had fallen beside him. The Kumo ninja began scribbling furiously in his note book, nodding to himself while murmuring something unintelligible.

Jiraiya decided he would initiate conversation, since the other man was otherwise preoccupied. He made a circular motion with head and then pointed at Kirabi. "You, who are awed by my presence to the point of silence, are Kirabi of Kumo, yes?"

The bearded container noticeably paused for a moment before he resumed his scratchy jotting. Jiraiya felt a subtle shift in his chakra and dispelled his familiar, landing on his feet akin to a lightweight dancer, preparing himself for everything and anything. He didn't want to risk a war by taking out the Hachibi Jinchuuriki at this time, but he would fight if he needed to.

"Say, ol' man with the funny hair, didn't they tell you Leaf-nin to beware? Ya know, tailing me for weeks takes some stones, especially since I could break ya bones. So, speak yo' mind while I'm in the mood, before I take you down for good."

_'Now__,__ I've seen everything__,__' _he sardonically deliberated and a begrudging smile tugged at his lips, _'…including_ _a rapping Jinchuuriki. Tsunade isn't going to believe me. But he is as observant and skilled as I surmised. To have sensed me for so long, even if he couldn't see or locate me, he hasn't lowered his guard all this time…'_

"I'm here to make a deal with you, the one who is known as Kumo's most prodigious swordsman."

Kirabi slowly stood up, stretching his arms as he pocketed his book. He didn't seem particularly impressed or awed by Jiraiya's reputation or his supposed power. If anything, he seemed bored and slightly impatient by his body language and the subtle jerking in his hands.

"I have an apprentice who is in need for some pointers in kenjutsu. I want your word you'll help him train for a couple of weeks…a month, tops. In exchange, I will divulge some information your brother will find _very_ interesting."

"What makes you think I'll stay true to my word?" The Jinchuuriki surprised Jiraiya by speaking in a low, cool manner. One of the man's blond eyebrows shifted in a curious fashion, and his lips parted into a grim smile that revealed his teeth in a feral manner.

The toad sage slid into warrior mode and mirrored the dark expression. "Because I've watched you, and you seem to never go back on your word. Besides, if you even try to harm even a single hair on the boy's head, Hachibi or not…" Kirabi faintly tilted his head a moment before Jiraiya's chakra exploded around him. "…I'll kill you."

His target grinned a bit and chuckled, raising his hands in placating manner. "Yo, old man, don't go wild! I just wanted to know if you cared for the child. Guys like me; you know we got it rough. It's good to know someone cares 'nough. So, sure, I'll do it. I'll help him out! Now, tell me what my brother needs with no doubt! Ooooh yeah!"

Jiraiya stood down and nodded, his expression turning dour. He marveled at the shrewdness of Kirabi; he was far sharper than he appeared. He would have to remain cautious around him and report that to Tsunade. "What do you know about a group called…Akatsuki?"

* * *

(**Undisclosed Location, Underground Base in the Tea Country)**

Kabuto uncomfortably grimaced as Orochimaru paced around the room. The serpent master had become increasingly enigmatic ever since the invasion of Konoha. He kept his own counsel and shared information selectively, even from him.

Orochimaru was standing several feet in front of him, hunched over a thin, deformed human arm whose skin was an ugly ruby. The hand had talons and was slightly bestial in its shape, and Kabuto wondered what the hell it was.

He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. _'Things are getting a bit too dangerous. I have to make my move quickly. Orochimaru-sama's new fascination with fuuinjutsu and that bizarre deformed arm have begun to escalate beyond what is healthy. Who knows what he's got planned next? I won't be collateral damage because of his madness when it has no seeming method._'

"Orochimaru-sama…if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing?" he quietly solicited in a firm manner. One did not show fear to the infamous nuke-nin. It wasn't healthy.

The glare of those yellow eyes forced a shiver down his spine, and the extremely wide smile plastered on his master's pale lips did little to reassure him. "I am on the verge of a breakthrough, Kabuto, but do not bother yourself with my experiments. They do _not_ concern you."

"But you summoned me here…" He reminded and locked his eyes with the mutated monster in front of him. He didn't dare blink, or sweat or even breathe until Orochimaru's eyes shifted back to the table in front of him.

"I have been reorganizing my old research notes and genetic sample collection. I was curious as to why they've been touched, and so, I've reviewed the security footage and one question came to mind: is there a reason you were looking for my notes on Edo Tensei, Kabuto?"

Kabuto's eyes widened and his heart pounded against his better judgment. His lips were dry and he felt adrenaline rushing through his system. _'Fight or flight mechanism..? Ha! Neither will help me if I anger him. I have to be careful…or he'll kill me!'_

"Kabuto, just so you know, I never documented my findings on Edo Tensei. However, I've always left bread crumbs of misinformation to lure greedy little thieves who want to learn my secrets." Orochimaru's voice rose by barely an octave, but the white snakes slithering out of his sleeves were a very bad sign of his displeasure. "I was going to share it with you, once you proved yourself completely loyal to me, but that isn't going to happen now, is it? In fact, you've been preparing to turn on me for a while now, haven't you?"

Kabuto heard his whisper, and, before he could blink, the second of the Legendary Three was face to face with him, his scentless breath hitting his face like light vapor.

"Now, try to recall our first real meeting all those years ago," the snake-charmer uttered, oily tone and all. "When I freed you from Sasori's spell all those years ago, I made you a promise, did I not?" Kabuto paled considerably and involuntarily took a step back, as he felt the cool scales of Orochimaru's familiars slither over his arms and around his waist. He was getting dizzy, and he guessed it was the high toxicity of Orochimaru's white serpents.

_'No…I've got to…I've got to do something!'_ his mind raced and, in a state of panic, he did the first thing that came to mind: like a lowly animal, he begged for his life.

"P-please!" he croaked out in a choked manner, his body trembling as the snakes constricted with ever-growing strength around him. "I'm…s-sorry, Orochimaru-sama!"

The serpent in man's clothing abruptly paused. After knitting a slender eyebrow, his lips parted to reveal the most diabolical and untamed of expressions Kabuto had ever seen. His yellow eyes seemed to glow in the semi-illuminated room. "Very well, Kabuto-kun, I will give you a second chance…" Orochimaru's lips touched his ear, and his whisper made his body stiffen and left a bad taste in his mouth. "…That is, if you survive!"

With that ghastly promise, something sunk into his neck, and belatedly, he realized it was Orochimaru's teeth a moment before he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Liquid fire coursed through his blood, and it wasn't his 'old blood'; it was all of his nerve endings being rubbed raw at once. He writhed and felt tears in his eyes as Orochimaru's right-hand man clutched his body the moment he was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.

Kabuto vaguely heard Orochimaru talking and then strong arms lifted him off the floor. He was sweating all over, and no matter how much chakra he pumped through his body, the pain wouldn't stop. His regenerative abilities had been completely overwhelmed by the ravenous nature of the cursed seal he felt manifesting on his neck.

He had been contemplating turning on his master for a while now. And, apparently, Orochimaru read him like a book and struck him first. He had been complacent, but he would have the last laugh.

_'You…you'll regret sparing me, Orochimaru!'_ Kabuto roared in his mind as consciousness began to slip away from him. The inky darkness began to creep up on the corners of his sight, before his vision faded to black_ 'I don't know when and how, but I'll make you pay…I'll make you…pay…'_

**

* * *

(The following day, training Area Three, Konohagakure no Sato)**

Tenten sighed as she dusted off her pants. She really, _really _hated D-rank missions. The genin were being forced to do two to three of the missions per day…and at full throttle. Their sensei often blended training exercises in between or during the missions and pushed them quite hard.

Today, Gai-sensei decided they had to wear weights as they helped cut the wheat for the farmers. Yesterday, he told them to do three hundred pushups and sit-ups after every section of the fence they finished painting. _'Argh! Is he trying to kill us?'_

The weapons mistress found a kindred spirit in her new teammate, Yamanaka Ino. She also hated leotards with a fiery passion and seemed to share her disdain to the antics Lee and Gai-sensei indulged in on occasion.

Things ever since the war had been stable. It was a brittle, fickle illusion that scared her and kept sleep from her on more than one night. The sordid secret she and Lee shared had brought them closer.

They spent a lot of time together, considering they trusted each other exclusively with everything. They trained, ate, hung out and even slept close to one another on missions. It was a bond between sinners; a pact which blurred the line between friend and more.

She gazed at him and gave off a delicate smile. At one time, she was sure she would seek a romantic relationship with Neji, but ever since their battle in the Chuunin Selection Exams, things had become tense between the former teammates. The genius ninja was civil enough with Lee; he had stopped insulting or criticizing him and Lee still respected the Hyuuga greatly, but it was a hollow bond, and everybody knew it.

It saddened her, but Neji was distant for his own reasons. He was almost always on missions as a chuunin, and when he wasn't, he was cooped up in the Hyuuga mansion, training furiously to keep on developing.

She knew that was how life went: people drifted apart. She was pleasantly surprised that, without the Hyuuga's forbidding and oppressive presence, she saw new sides of her bowl-cut friend and found herself growing closer to him.

_'I guess Neji was an asshole and buzz kill to an extent even greater than I could've thought.'_

Team Gai was sitting in the shade of a tree, resting after a rather grueling sparring session with Gai-sensei. He had often pushed them to develop their teamwork by pitting them against him or other jounin he could find to push their limits. It was effective, even if it was _painful._

Gai-sensei was stretching and, otherwise, busying himself. Well, right before he seemed to stiffen and glance over his shoulder. She followed his gaze and watched the last person she could've thought would come interrupt their training step into the clearing. _'Is that…Naruto?'_

"Gai-senpai, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but may I have a word with you?" he asked evenly and polite, bowing his head in a somewhat humble gesture.

She bit the inside of her cheek, inconspicuously looking at Ino, who gazed at her fellow blond with slightly wide eyes. The girl was practically bouncing when, only moments ago, she was dog tired.

_'I don't get what she sees in him. Sure__,__ he's not too hard on the eye, and supposed to be really strong, but he doesn't treat her right, and he's always too busy…'_

"Tenten, come here a moment. Naruto has a request for you," Gai-sensei explained and commanded.

She blinked. _'Me? What would Naruto want with me?'_

Her eyes found Ino, who looked confused, disappointed and somewhat upset…if the way her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed were any indication.

A panicked thought filled her, and she hesitated once she rose to her feet. She gulped and shot Lee a meaningful look._ 'Does he know? Did he find out somehow?'_

The bowl-cut ninja shook his head and motioned her to go with his head and shot her the thumbs up gesture to calm her down. She still felt somewhat fearful and walked up to him. "Y-yes?" she cursed herself inwardly for stammering.

"I know that you and I…we aren't close, but I need your help," the last of the Uzumaki declared and averted his gaze, crossing his arms under his chest.

"W-what?" she asked. That was the last thing she expected. Her eyes bulged and was far too surprised to care for the somewhat rudeness of her staring.

Naruto uncrossed his arms and reached for his mouth, biting on his thumb, he drew a line of crimson on his left armguard and in a brief puff of a smoke the most beautiful and unique blade Tenten had ever seen materialized in his right hand.

"This is Boufuudoki, my mother's blade," he explained and offered it to her, hilt-first, so she could grab it.

She hesitated only a moment before excitement and curiosity got the better of her. She examined the master craftsmanship and turned around, giving the sword a test swing.

"There are but a select few kenjutsu experts in Konoha. Most of them are chuunin or jounin and don't have time for a greenhorn like me. You are a weapons specialist, so I was hoping you could help me sharpen my skills." The bewhiskered chuunin humbly brushed off his begging like it was no big deal. He didn't want to come off as too desperate. "Anyway…I know you don't really like me, so you won't do it for free. So, what would it take to make that possible?"

Tenten bit her lower lip thoughtfully, her mind a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts. Could she help him? Spending time with him, when every time she looked at him, she saw flashes of Iruka's pale, labored features as she banished them away.

Didn't she owe it to him? She should do it for free, but then, wouldn't he be suspicious of her? She gulped and glanced at the intricate seals engraved into the blade in her hand, and then she turned to look at Ino and Lee, who were watching them curiously and suspiciously, respectively.

"You have to help Lee," Tenten blurted out in a slightly high pitched manner. She felt like the world's greatest bitch, but she couldn't compromise the secret, and she cared about Lee.

Naruto pinched his lips and he furrowed his brow.

"How?" he curiously asked and just a bit suspiciously.

"You have to spar with him at least once a week and…and when you start leading missions, try to take him and me on missions with you. We could use the experience, and you're Konoha's new rising star, so…yeah."

Naruto momentarily glanced at Gai and then smiled, even grinned, faintly. "Sure. I'm always up for a challenge, and Lee's definitely strong. As for the other thing…well, I'll do my best, but…Tsunade-sama issues mission formations in advance. I can suggest, but I can't work miracles."

Tenten exhaled in relief, noticing that Gai seemed to unwind as well as he beamed and pumped his fist. "All right! Now that your youthful flames have once more found harmony, it's time to get back to work!"

"I'll negotiate schedules through you, if you don't mind of course, Gai-senpai," Naruto offered and her sensei nodded thoughtfully.

Gai's jovial eyes suddenly widened with an epiphany only he seemed to grasp. "Naruto-kun, Kakashi is always praising you in my presence. How about you and I spar? I've been curious to see how strong you've become since the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto blinked and shrugged, though he seemed a bit apprehensive. "Umm…sure, Gai-senpai. But, do you want it to be a full-contact spar or just a plain taijutsu match?"

Gai grinned in a manner Tenten could've sworn was almost evil and cracked his neck. "I'll stick with taijutsu, but you can come at me with everything you've got, sans the power of the Kyuubi, of course."

It didn't take a genius to figure out the unmentioned message of 'you're going to need it' behind his words. Tenten blinked and returned to Ino and Lee to fill them in as Gai and Naruto departed, her sensei even more excitable than usual and her new 'student', somewhat gloomy, but concentrated.

"Yoshi! Now, apprentice of my eternal rival, show me your flames of youth!"

**

* * *

(At the same time, Outskirts of Kirigakure)**

Sakura was a bit skeptical when Suigetsu led her to the more downtrodden, neglected part of Kirigakure.

_'If our sensei is so impressive and notorious, why does she live in such a shoddy looking area, Sakura-chan?'_

Her jade eyes were narrowed and her senses remained sharp, not putting it above her 'partner in crime' to try something. He was, at least according to him, one of the lead candidates for assuming the position of one of Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, notoriously unruly, insane and bloodthirsty individuals.

She was a bit bored; they had been travelling through the maze-like city for almost twenty minutes in complete silence. "Suigetsu…I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now."

"What is it? You're usually blabbering about this or that. So what's caught your tongue, Sakura? Oh ho, don't tell me you wanted to ask me out on a date? If you did, then…"

"Shut up! Don't be a jerk, fish-face!"

"Then what is it, you psycho-bitch?"

Sakura blinked and glared at him, but she wasn't too upset. They found out mutual name-calling was something they indulged in; it was playful, stress-relieving and fun to act childish on occasion.

She snarled and shook her fist at him, her green eyes almost seeming to glow. "How are you going to be a swordsman of the Mist when your village lost all their swords over the years, water for brains?"

"Ha! Shows what you know, you sex-starved shrew!" he bit back in retort. "Apparently, your ol' boss man, Danzou, ordered my brother's assassination during one of the skirmishes in Nami no Kuni, around three years ago, so he could steal our swords. Anyway… Mangetsu had the last laugh, though; he hid the scroll of swords in his body and then killed himself before they could manage.

"So, all it took was for Mashashi-sensei to go collect it from where the battle took place, and he picked up Zabuza's blade from Wave. So, we've got six outta seven back! And before you say anything else, I got dibs on that old geezer."

Sakura blinked, and then grabbed him by the collar, shaking him for good measure. "Oh, hell no! Danzou tortured me, Suigetsu. He killed my mom and used me then tossed me like trash. He's **mine**."

A deadpan female tone drawled out suddenly. "Yo, Suigetsu-kun, if you and your little girlfriend wanted to go fuck and work out some sexual tension, I'm pretty sure you guys could find some place better than this."

Sakura blinked, noticing Suigetsu follow suit and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment mixed with anger, _'As if I'd ever touch that shark-faced son of a bitch!'_

Suigetsu blushed faintly but growled and waved both fists at the interloper that accused them.

_'He ain't __**that**__ bad looking__,__ and we are all in one boat, aren't we? You could do worse. And before you go yapping about Sasuke-kun, don't forget he's dead, and it's not like we're going to be celibate because of him. Call it the force of no alternative.'_

She turned to the woman and examined her. The woman was in her late twenties, by the looks of it. The woman wore a Kiri ANBU uniform – a striped shirt and pants with the same outward pattern, with a green robe draping over them.

Her hair was a short, spiky long mane of bright green and her eyes exuded an exotic shade of amber. She had two ninjatou strapped against her lower back. Her most distinguishable feature however was the eye-shaped tattoo on her forehead…

There was something suspicious about it.

The woman scowled and stared angrily at her 'partner' with aggravation. "Oh, c'mon, Suigetsu-kun, don't tell me you want me to train this little scamp of yours. She a tree-hugger, for crying out loud. It'll take me months to just get her in the right mindset!"

Suigetsu put a placating hand on her shoulder, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Nah, Sakura's all right as they come, Hachi-senpai. She's all for slicing and dicing, doing what it takes 'n all that. Trust me. She's as cutthroat as the average Kiri-ninja. Plus, she worked for Danzou, after all."

"Oh? Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" the woman murmured thoughtfully and took a step toward her. "So, Suigetsu tells me you're a Raiton manipulator like I am, right? What else can you do?"

"I'm a poison, anatomy and assassination specialist. I've also got proficiency suitable for genjutsu," Sakura smoothly replied, locking eyes with her potential sensei. The woman shifted and blurred toward her, pausing an inch from her face.

Sakura didn't flinch. _'Take that! Shannaro!'_

"All right, then, I may not be nearly as strong as Mashashi-san, but I almost made it into the Swordsmen back in the day. It was Suigetsu's big bro who beat me to it…that son of a bitch… No offense."

"None taken. He was a son of a bitch!" Suigetsu guffawed.

The woman grinned and winked at her. "But…he was awesome in the sack! We almost tied the knot 'n all that, before the Leaf cut him down, that is. Tch," she sucked her teeth. "If you're gunning for tree-huggers, I'm all for preparing you for it."

Sakura grinned as well, a tremulous, warm feeling spreading through her. What was it again? Happiness? Hah! She finally had a sensei who wanted to help her grow.

_'Ya know, I'm starting to like it here!'_


	4. 3: No Rest Or Slack For the Wicked

**Disclaimer: The Naruto Franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, 'Shounen Jump' and other affiliated companies with intellectual property rights over the franchise.**

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A/N:

1) Thanks once more to **DarkHeroOrion** for his diligent and hard work on beta-approving and tweaking this chapter. Hopefully he'll be posting the first chapter of his new story soon so we can all enjoy his work itself and not just his beta-work.

2) Also Special thanks to **rasengan86, ****DarkHeroOrion & LD1449** for helping me smooth out the kinks in the plots and brainstorm to find ideas to overlap and sit upon the skeleton of this fic so far.

3) I hope you readers approve of the chapters being short and more frequent. My schedule is very busy so I usually try to put 4-5 scenes a chapter instead of the 6-7 of story one. Also as you've seen,I'm pacing the story differently than story one and am trying to improve the characterization as well as add touches of humor here and there when possible.

Thanks to all you reviewers (regulars and sporadic ones), your support helps inspire me to write despite undergoing this hectic senior year of mine. So...whether you think my work is good or bad, your reviews and feedback help. (I've personally changed some scenes or fixed future plot ideas based on reviews befor).

4) Also just so everyone knows, I've mellowed some of my original plot ideas for stories two and three due to having to smooth over the kinks in characterization from story 1 or rather justify or describe their consequences in the long run. I hope you all approve of my changes in writing and different updating pace (+the newfound insistance on beta assistance by **DarkHeroOrion **before posting unlike the settling for the draft version in story one) because I'm trying to find original idea fitting of the new timeline and which aren't as soul shattering and mind numbing than the Edo tensei galore of useless volumes of the current canon.

Anyhow, enough babbling on my part! **Read, enjoy & review plz!**

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Japanese Word Glossary

Hachimon – Eight Gates  
Youton – Lava Release  
Kage – Shadow / Shinobi leader in the Narutoverse  
Tenketsu – Chakra Points  
Bijuu – Tailed Beast/s  
Youki – Evil energy / Demonic energy  
(name)-dono – honorific for royalty of leadership  
Baachan - Grannie  
Ero-Kyoufu – Perverted Godfather  
Ichibi – One Tail  
Yonbi – Four Tails  
Gobi – Five Tails  
Rokubi – Six Tails  
Nanabi – Seven Tails  
Kyuubi – Nine Tails  
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf  
Konoha - Leaf  
Suna – Sand  
Kumo – Cloud  
Kiri - Mist  
Hokage – Fire Shadow  
Raikage – Lightning Shadow  
Mizukage – Water Shadow  
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist  
Iwagakure – Hidden Rock  
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud  
Jinchuuriki – 'Power of Human Sacrifice' / nickname for Bijus containers  
Godaime – The Fifth  
Yondaime – The Fourth  
Kekkei Genkai - Bloodline limit

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(Later that evening, Streets of Konohagakure)

"Ino-chan, c'mon," Naruto audibly whined. "Will you stop this bullshit already? I told you I was sorry!"

He rolled his eyes at the cold shoulder and dramatically loud huff his paramour gave him. They had dinner plans with their friends after they briefly paused at their respective homes to freshen up and change. However, Ino hadn't changed, nor had she waited for him. He had to track her down and she refused to look or talk to him.

"It's not that you aren't important. I was there on business, and you told me you didn't approve of public displays of affection," Naruto reasoned with her in a controlled tone, jogging a bit and walking backward a foot or two in front of his girlfriend.

"You ignored me!" Ino frostily exclaimed his sin in one simple phrase.

He blinked, his brows furrowing slightly. "You and all of my sensei keep on pounding it into me that I have to act polite and according to decorum and that shit. So what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to ignore Gai and interrupt your training session by kissing you in front of everyone?

"You could've waved, smiled, nodded, or done _something_, but no, you didn't! You go kissing up to Tenten, and then you go agreeing to a suicidal spar with Gai-sensei. And then…once you're _free_, you decide it's time to say hi to you_ girlfriend_. You expect me to be all hunky-dory about it?"

Naruto winced on every word she harshly stressed, her voice gradually raising an octave. "I-Ino-chan, gimme a break, will you? I didn't mean it like that. You know how much it meant to me…"

"Save it! I don't want to hear your excuses, Naruto!" Ino spat out and shoved by him, nearly knocking him off his feet. "It's always about _you_, you and _your training_, or you and _your schedule_ and you forgetting _this_ or not meaning _that_!"

"Hey, that isn't fair, Ino!" he barked in protest. "I know I'm not the perfect boyfriend, and I screw up from time to time, but I do care about you! You, of all people, should know how hard I _try _and how little I know about these things! Hell, I had to beg Kakashi-sensei all week for him to give me the day off so I could take you out for dinner and hang out tonight, but now, you _blow me off_."

Her jaw tensed and she stubbornly lifted her chin, purposefully avoiding eye contact. "It hurts, doesn't it? Good! It's about time you get a taste of your own medicine. So, no, I don't give a damn how hard you begged or tried earlier!"

Her eyes were moist but she played it off while sniffing, shutting her eyes. "I need time to think, and you need to go get your act together, idiot, because if you don't man up soon…" She left the threat hanging and briskly brushed past him.

Naruto watched her march off, heavily sighing in exasperation. His shoulders slumped as he bowed his head. He stood there dejectedly for a moment before he pursed his lips.

_'Being a boyfriend's really tricky and hard work! Now, what am I supposed to do? And I had this really awesome surprise for her, too!_' He scratched his head and turned around while reasoning with himself. _'Damn, I'll have to ask baachan or Shizune-nee. I'm sure they'll have better advice than Kaka-sensei or any of my other friends…'_

"Uzumaki Naruto." He heard a familiar voice and started slightly from out of his reverie. He gave off a slight smile and nodded at the newcomer, trying to push his morbid thoughts and worries aside.

"Gaara? Wow, it's been a while!" Naruto greeted and weakly grinned, though his heart wasn't really in it. "H-how are you?"

The red head scrutinized him with narrowed jade eyes and tilted his head quizzically. "I've been well. Jiraiya fixed my seal so I can no longer hear my bijuu," the Ichibi container coolly responded, but his eyes lacked the bloodlust and violence of the past.

"Heh…Ero-Kyoufu is pretty cool, isn't he?" Naruto commented, his smile not reaching his eyes. _'I miss him. I wish he were here….'_

"I still don't understand," Gaara declared in a bland manner, his eyebrows furrowed. "I was…your enemy. I am…was a monster made flesh. Why did you…? Why does your village not kill me…kill us?"

Naruto shrugged and waved off the tally of the debts between them. "It's nothing, Gaara. We're alike, you and I, and we fought together against that crazy bastard. If anything, we're even."

"I still don't understand," Gaara declared in a bland manner, his eyebrows furrowed. "I was…your enemy. I am…was a monster made flesh. Why did you…? Why does your village not kill me…kill us?"

"I spared you…helped you…because nobody else would." Naruto cut him off before his fellow demon vessel got in a word edgewise. "We may be called 'the power of human sacrifice' but we need support just as much as anyone else with our burden. You can lean on me when you need, Gaara. Well…as long as you don't go killing me or my friends' 'n all…"

Gaara's stoic face remained confused and his non-existent eyebrows furrowed as he glared at Naruto deeply to the point he made Naruto fidget uncomfortable. "I-I owe you a debt, Uzumaki Naruto. One that can never be repaid. I will...try and learn from you and find some precious people to protect." The redhead paused to think. "However, You and I...You will keep on proving my existence every time we fight."

Naruto's eyebrow briefly twitched and he let loose a shaky sigh, dolefully bowing his head. _'Why does everyone want to kill me? Do I have a bull's-eye tattooed on my forehead? Or maybe I have a sign inviting all the psychos of the world to take a free shot!_'

He forced a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's fine with me…I think, and you're welcome, I suppose. Anyway, umm…I was going to head for some dinner. You want to join me?"

"That is acceptable."

_'I guess this night can't get much worse, can it?'_ Naruto figured forlornly as he led his fellow Jinchuuriki toward a small hotpot restaurant several streets away. They walked shoulder to shoulder, people moving aside to give them room as they walked.

Whether it was because they feared Gaara or worshipped Naruto was anyone's guess, but everyone was whispering curiously and shooting them curious glances as they passed.

The son of the Yondaime paid them little heed. His mind still whirled with thoughts of his actions regarding Ino. The moment he stepped into the restaurant with Gaara at his heels, the bustling establishment quieted down for a moment.

"Hey, Naruto, over here!" the Uzumaki heard a familiar voice call out and he nodded, noticing the other patrons resume their previous activities.

"C'mon, Gaara. I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Naruto promised and instinctively grabbed the other boy's wrist, guiding him. Only belatedly did he realize no sand reacted to his gesture and he shot the redhead a cursory glance as he let go.

The other boy flinched at the touch at first, but then eased down but offered no explanation to the phenomenon.

_'Strange…' _the blond observed. _'I remember anything within an inch from him being pushed away by his sand…'_

Naruto joined the table where Neji, Shikamaru and Chouji sat. He gestured Gaara to sit in front of him and the green-eyed shinobi silently obeyed. The other Konoha-nin placed their conversation on hold and quietly surveyed Gaara.

"Gaara, these are some of my classmates. You know Shikamaru from the exams, and these are Neji and Chouji. Guys, this is Gaara. He's had it rough, and he's my friend, so give him a chance, all right?"

"Only you, Naruto…" Shikamaru murmured in an exasperated manner and shot Neji a somewhat suffering look.

The Hyuuga shrugged and sighed. He nodded once and captured a piece of shrimp with his chopsticks. "So, Gaara-san, has Naruto tried to blow you up, yet?"

Naruto blinked and sputtered in objection, but failed to utter a coherent sentence.

"I know you have that sand shield of yours, Gaara, but you should watch your back around Naruto, anyway," Shikamaru agreed and nodded in a sagely fashion. "He may look gullible and harmless enough at first, but the moment you drop your guard, he goes off and…well, he's quite destructive."

"Hey!" Naruto snarled, watching Gaara, who seemed to curiously gauge the banter.

"Look on the bright side, Naruto. At least destroying stuff is better than wearing that 'kill-me-now' orange jump suit you used to wear," Chouji cheerfully piped in, obviously catching along to the 'abuse Naruto's ego' rhetoric.

"Will you guys cut it out? What're you guys trying to do?" Naruto raged, blood rushing to his cheeks and skin feeling a bit warmer as Gaara's lips twitched faintly. _'Is he…smiling?'_

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pushed a small piece of beef into his mouth. He chewed a bit and swallowed before explaining himself. "Well…if Gaara is going to be part of the gang, he should know what he's getting into. You're a great guy and all, Naruto, but we all know you can be…troublesome."

Naruto glared at his friends and shook his head before pleadingly looking at Gaara. Surely, the redhead that respected him and owed him would come to his defense. "You believe in me, right, Gaara? They're embellishing! I'm not _that_ bad. I don't demolish everything around me!"

The former Suna-nin shut his eyes and looked to be meditating. "You comrades raise a compelling argument," he flatly deadpanned.

Naruto gaped at his 'friend' in betrayal and slammed his forehead, _hard_, against the table and whined. "None of my friends or teachers respects me…"

He cursed himself for jinxing the evening earlier and huffed as he sat up. He glared at the assorted shinobi and moved to order some more food. _'And to top it all, Ino's still mad at me, and baachan's gonna beat me down for being a jerk.'_

* * *

(**Two days later, Kumo weapon's testing grounds, outside Kumogakure**)

Ei frowned as he examined his body. The metallic chrome armor his lead scientists developed constricted his muscular frame. The yin-yang symbols hummed, pulsating in lighter shades, and he could literally feel an external force pushing against his chakra.

"Even _I_ wouldn't wear this!" the Raikage snorted icily. The black and blue coloration was an eye sore, and the peace-mongering Buddhist shapes that decorated it made it that much worse. _'The first thing this piece of rubbish needs is a better paint job...I ain't no wishy-washy tree hugger!'_

"R-Raikage-dono, p-please be reasonable…The design is practical," a mousy-looking man with glasses anxiously implored.

His head scientist, Hajime Jiro, never disappointed him with the end results; it was the trial and error process which usually vexed the dark-skinned Kage.

Ei glared at the diminutive man with a cloud of doubt. He closed his eyes for a moment and reached for his chakra. When his eyes snapped open, his irises flashed and glowed iridescently as he activated his legendary Lightning Armor.

All around him, the machines regulating the armor warningly beeped and whistled. He looked at the armor and watched the symbols rapidly palpitate, obviously trying to keep up with his chakra output. He smirked wryly as the machines around him short-circuited, and some of them even exploding violently.

"This thing can't handle me," he declared offhandedly and coughed as black smoke, which smelled of burned plastic and melted metal, filled his lungs. He snarled, his face contorting angrily as he hit the breastplate, causing the armor to disengage and unceremoniously fall to his feet.

"This is the fourth time we've tried this worthless technology, Jiro. Do it over, and do it right this time!" he barked and started stomping away.

He glanced over his shoulder and watched the spectacle-wearing man mope and look sadly at the smoldering pile of dismantled armor. "Make it look badass while you're at it. Even if it works, I won't be caught dead looking like some pansy-ass in that crappy-looking armor."

"B-but Raikage-dono!" The man griped, causing the leader of Kumo to pause and bristle impatiently. "Building and fixing these is costing us a fortune!"

Ei's lips parted to reveal a small smirk. He would motivate his subordinate—properly, this time. "Congratulations, for your next paychecks are going to be invested for the good of Kumo. Hopefully, you'll develop it and finish the project quickly before your grandchildren sink in your debts, Jiro."

The man's wails did not deter the Raikage as he left the laboratory and inhaled the crisp, cool air with a grim expression. _'At least the manufacturing of the lightning towers is proceeding well. Though, that stingy bastard's sanctions are beginning to piss me off! Doesn't he understand we're on the verge of war?'_

He rubbed his chin and beard in contemplation. It was fortunate the Lightning Country was rich with natural minerals and steel. Trying to import the necessary alloys and minerals would've bankrupted his treasury.

"Yo, bro! What's a shakin'?" He heard a voice and his downcast expression shifted to an angry one as he spun around. However, his fury quickly shifted into confusion at the spectacle he witnessed.

His brother was using his youki to create massive octopus arms which suspended him above the ground. Kirabi was in a muscle man pose. "I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Gather around ladies, come coo and see the mighty Jinchuuriki-sama, Kirabi!"

Ei's eyebrow violently twitched as his brother finished his horrific entrance by lifting his arm and howling. _'W-what the hell is this? He's gotten even more eccentric! I have to stop this before he gets used to it!'_ He leaped upward and planted his fist into the jinchuuriki's head, _hard_.

"Where the hell are you doing and where the hell have you been, you idiot?"

Kirabi was hunched over, rubbing the back of his head with a comically pained expression on his face. "Ow! Hey, that ain't nice bro! I told Darui to tell ya I'd be back before you know!"

_'One of these days, I'm going to get an ulcer because of you, Kirabi…'_ Ei thought and glared evilly at his kid brother. "Answer my question before I lose my _temper_ for real!"

"Geez, bro, chillax! I got a good thing to pay as tax!"

Ei balefully glared at his little brother and shook his fist in a threatening gesture. "Then, stop your rapping and start talking!"

"I met this old dude with long white hair, and he gave me a tip he wanted to share!"

The raikage's rage abated as interest and suspicion filled him. He felt his earlier headache grow to migraine levels and slapped his forehead. _'Jiraiya…? What's could that perverted idiot possibly have for me…?'_

* * *

(**Four days later, gender-separated onsen, Iwagakure**)

Sumiko painfully winced as she sunk into the waters of the onsen. Her lithe body was covered with black and blue bruises and there were patches of skin which were burned or chafed_._

_'I hate my life…'_ she mentally groaned in anguish.

Her grueling, painful training sessions with her cousin Kurotsuchi and Roushi were wearing both her body and her sanity. She loved her cousin greatly, but she was insane and a slave driver. In conclusion, this was hell on earth for the kunoichi.

As for the bitter and surly Jinchuuriki, they had an unspoken agreement that he wouldn't spar or fight her directly, anymore. Instead, he had started teaching her Youton manipulation and jutsu to supplement the ones Kurotsuchi was teaching her.

"There you are, Sumiko-chan!" the cheerful, happy-go-lucky sound of her cousin's voice snapped from behind her. In the blink of an eye, the older female ninja dropped the towel covering her nude body and dived, cannonball-style, into the water in front of Sumiko with a whoop.

The proud princess of Iwa spat out the lashing liquid that ended up in her mouth, on accident, and wiped her dark-brown hair out of her face with her left hand as the hot water splashed all over her. Her right eyebrow ticked rather uncontrollably in stewing anger. _'Sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only sane person in my family.'_

Her cousin surfaced with an ear-to-ear grin on her visage when she noticed the blank expression on her face. The brunette proceeded to lazily swim toward Sumiko, coming to a pause beside her and eyeing her quizzically.

All amusement drained from the older kunoichi as she tenderly poked Sumiko's shoulder. "Hey, what's with the long face? Did that old goat, Roushi, piss you off again?"

"N-no, it's just…" Sumiko stammered, unsure how to describe the surreal experience she had undergone when the Yonbi-possessed Roushi had nearly mauled her several weeks ago. She hadn't told a soul of the ordeal, and apparently neither had Roushi, as not a single question was raised by her father on how she managed to subdue a raging Bijuu.

Thankfully, Kurotsuchi wasn't in a pushy mood and allowed her thoughts to wander. _'It couldn't have come from dad's side of the family. In fact, nobody in Iwa's history has ever manifested such a strange ability. If anything, the stories all regale the awesome power of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who could subdue and control the Bijuu…'_

After a brief pause in which silence fell between them, Sumiko blurted out a question she had never dared ask anyone. "Who was my mom, cousin?"

Kurotsuchi's body considerably stiffened beside her and dread filled the green-eyed princess. She stole a glance and saw her cousin's lips purse and eyes narrow dangerously.

It was now that she dared to voice her inquiry for the first time in over a decade, and there was nothing to stop the torrent of mysteries she wanted to have answered. "There are no pictures of her anywhere. I know it's supposedly because Father is too pained to talk about her or look at her picture, but how come there isn't even _one_ picture in all of Iwa? I've never been told anything about her; who she was, where she's from, or even her surname! Besides, there's no register of a woman named Kagami in the right age range in the records anywhere. All anyone has ever told me is that supposedly the Yellow Flash murdered her…"

The older kunoichi, usually jovial and outspoken, was surprisingly dismal. "Stop, Sumiko. I know it's frustrating, but I can't help you."

Sumiko's breathing quickened as adrenaline pumped through her veins. "Why? Was she so despicable a criminal or monster nobody is willing to talk about? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" She asked desperately. The royal kunoichi gnashed her teeth, her eyes flaring with frustration and indignation.

"That's enough, Sumiko! You're going to boil us alive!" Kurotsuchi hissed in a commanding tone and struck her to shake her out of her fury. Unwittingly, her lapse of emotional control had accidently invoked her Youton ability, which, in turn, rapidly heated the water.

Sumiko lifted a hand to her cheek, but her eyes widened as she noticed the water around them beginning to unsteadily froth with the rising heat. Her hard expression melted into a somewhat remorseful and woeful one.

Kurotsuchi shook her head slightly and flashed an honest, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything. It is forbidden."

"_What_?" Her mind raced with the possible implications, each seeming less appealing as wild scenarios played from within.

A dangerous gleam suddenly replaced the usually playful and soft shine in her cousin's eyes. "That's all you'll get out of me. I can't say anymore, so don't ask me! If you really want answers, then go ask your father, and don't tell him I sent you!"

The Iwa princess frowned thoughtfully and the two kunoichi fell into a pregnant silence. _'It has to be connected to what happened to me.'_

She was about to leave when she heard a strange sound, the sound of wood creaking ominously from a nearby tree—one of the few Iwagakure had used to decorate the onsen. It was as if something pushed against one of its branches.

She whirled around, eyes focused and tried to feel around if someone was there, be it a spy or a pervert. She sensed and saw nobody and eventually eased back down into the water and made a silent vow to herself.

_'This time, I'll find out the truth about you, Mother, even if it's the last thing I do! Though, I should try to approach Dad about this when he's in a good mood. Considering lately, he's been even more detached and temperamental than usual…'_

* * *

(**Meanwhile, Private Kage training grounds, Kirigakure**)

Terumi Mei folded her hands together, her lips pursed into a thin line. Her green eyes were closed and she concentrated on the nature around her. She spread her senses outward and patiently waited.

She stood in a loose stance. Clad in a navy blue training gi, the thin material struggled to hang a bit loosely over her voluptuous figure. Black metallic arm guards and leggings dimly gleamed in the moonlight and a single, sheathed ninjatou was strapped against her lower back.

'_There!' _she thought and her eyes snapped open just in time for the Godaime Mizukage to bring two fingers to her lips and sharply exhaled. A massive, scarlet plume of hot substance erupted from her mouth, just barely missing a blurry shape.

She heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed and immediately ran through some lightning-fast hand seals. She turned to her left, unleashing a massive cloud of corrosive mist at the approaching figure.

The silhouette vanished and her eyes widened in realization.

_'Damn it! Genjutsu!' _

She bent backward, pressing her palm against the cold soil beneath her feet. The motion allowed her to barely dodge a gleaming blade. She spun her body around and landed in a crouching position on all fours.

_'I've had enough of these games! I'll flush you out…'_ she promised, and her full lips twitched into a smirk as she ran through some rapid hand seals. She shut her eyes once more as the air condensed around her, the air particles forming a thick mist as she invoked the 'Kirigakure no Jutsu.'

She saturated the air with her own chakra and reached back for the hilt of her blade. The mist shifted and she stepped back, dodging a dangerously close slash that nearly chopped her in half. She proceeded to draw her weapon while quickly taking in oxygen.

The sound of steel meeting steel rang out loudly as she blocked a wide slicing motion. She gritted her teeth and pressed her palm against her blade to try and steady the cutting edge, but her foe's physical force forced her back several steps.

She slashed her miniature sword across her body, invoking raw fire manipulation and drawing a long wave of flame with her chakra. The area was illuminated briefly just in time for her to watch a blade sink out of her gut from where she was stabbed from behind.

She smirked, her body melting into a thick magma and forced her enemy to retreat hastily several steps back. She reformed behind him, rising from the earth, but spun around instead of stabbing him, stopping her blade an inch from her enemy's jugular.

"Well, Mei-chan, it seems like you're back in shape! Though I still wonder how you can move so fast when you've got those huge knock—"

Her eyebrow twitched and she sharply cut him off by planting her fist into the offending man's cheek.

_'You pig!'_

…Well, at least she wanted to, but he intercepted her punch with his open palm.

"Heh, you've really got to work on that temper of yours, girl."

She tilted her head upward, glaring icily into the man's bluish-gray eyes. He towered over her, his muscular frame bulging out of the Kiri ANBU gear in which he was clad.

His wolfish grin made her blood boil, and it took quite a bit of restraint for her to wear a pleasant smile as she spoke in a calm, jovial manner. "Mashashi-kun, you do know that if you sexually harass me one more time, I'll _kill_ you."

The blade master shrugged his shoulders. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Mei. You couldn't handle a man like me, anyway."

_'Why you arrogant son of a…' _Her eyebrow jolted violently, but, before she could retort or attack him, another voice interjected, causing her to subtly complain on the inside. _'If I didn't need you to train the six new swordsmen of the mist for me…'_

Ao's deep voice shook her out of her mental tirade. "Godaime-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt your training session, but I'm afraid I have some bad news."

She pulled away from the older shinobi and crossed her arms under her supple breasts, assuming a calm expression with a faint smile. "It's all right, Ao. Give me your report."

"We haven't been able to locate Utakata anywhere. It's as if he vanished off the face of the earth. It also seems the destruction we found at his last known location was not of his own doing. Our ANBU took soil samples and found traces of highly explosive clay saturated in the soil."

Mei frowned and scrunched her nose in deep thought. _'Explosive clay? That's one of Iwagakure's trademark jutsu. Did Ishimaru try to compensate for losing his Gobi by taking the Rokubi? Though, the last I've heard, the last wielder of that particular kekkei genkai turned rogue…'_

"What about Yagura?" She opted to change the subject, deciding to mull over Utakata's disappearance at a later date and decide what actions to take in reaction.

Ao sighed and Mei felt her temples begin to throb with the telltale signs of a headache. "We lost his trail around Iwagakure's territory, but we did learn something interesting…"

The Fifth Water Shadow kept her calm façade. "Oh?"

Ao glanced briefly at Mashashi as if to assess the threat the former nuke-nin posed. Mei waved her hand impatiently, signaling him to proceed. "He's not alone. He's travelling with a companion; a female of moderate height. Witness reports claim she's got shoulder-length green hair and reddish eyes."

"So, it's been confirmed. He's moving around with the Nanabi, then…" Mei realized while her lips' movements cut through her poker face. _'This is good…We might be able to kill two birds with one stone, after all.'_

Ao nodded and Mei inhaled through her nostrils, bowing her head momentarily before she snapped her gaze up with a small grin spreading over her lips. "Ao, give me your forehead protector, change your clothes and hide the seal over your Byakugan eye. This is an off-the-books, covert operation! Find the Yondaime Mizukage and his protégé…no matter what cost, and no matter where he is!"

"There's something else…" Ao interjected before Mei could dismiss him. "We have received an encoded message from one of our hunter-nin. She tracked down Hoshigaki Kisame and the Samehada to the River country. Kisame apparently passed through after the recent slaughter of an entire Yakuza clan in the Tea Country. Our intelligence reports have his fingerprints all over it…but…"

"But, what…?" Mei grimly asked, a chill running down her spine as a bad feeling invaded her body and left a foul taste in her mouth.

"We lost contact with her several weeks ago. Our dispatch team of hunter-ninja found her decaying body last week…her body punctured all over and something had ripped out her heart."

Mashashi's eyes narrowed a fraction and she quizzically raised an eyebrow. The exemplary swordsman shook his head. "Mei-chan, I suggest you double the bounty on Kisame's head…"

Mei's eyebrows flew to her bangs. Did he even realize how much money was at stake?

"It seems that Kisame is being tracked by Kakuzu the Undying. Trust me. If you offer enough money, Kakuzu would sell his own mother if she were still alive. That son of a bitch will do anything for a ryou."

* * *

(**The Following morning, training ground six, Konohagakure**)

Naruto sorely grunted as a bandage-covered fist smashed into his cheek and sent him staggering backward. "Naruto-chan, you've gotta keep your right hand up! Stop abusing that boy's fists with your face!"

_'You're not helping, Fukusaku!' _Naruto hissed out through gnarled teeth. He shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears and narrowed his orbs at the blurry shape approaching him at an alarming velocity.

He couldn't follow his silhouette with his eyes, but he had been knocked around enough today in the strictly limited taijutsu match by Lee to have familiarized himself with his preferred attacks.

_'Not so fast…' _

He lifted his right hand, and, despite knowing it would hurt like hell, he captured Lee's shin. He felt the bone and cartilage in his fingers scream in protest and reckoned he broke a finger or two and, perhaps, fractured his palm.

He took a quick step, capitalizing on the spandex-clad opponent's surprise and quickly rammed his forehead into the bowl-cut genin's face with bone-crunching force. Before Lee could recover, Naruto lifted his captured leg a bit and swept his other foot.

As Lee twirled and prepared to kick him off, the last Uzumaki grabbed his ankle with his good hand, while keeping hold with his damaged hand and pivoted his body, using the momentum and his strength to swing Lee around and slam him, _hard_, into the ground.

"That'a boy, Naruto-chan!" Fukusaku crowed excitedly.

Lee sprang back into action in the blink of an eye, undeterred by the physical pain. Naruto was one step ahead of him. He had surmised his retaliation would do him little good.

He reached backward with his good hand, and, rummaging through his weapons pouch, he found a proper solution for his trouble. As the distance between him and the genin cut dangerously close, he shut his eyes and tossed something on the ground in front of him and quickly covered his ears.

He waited a moment and then charged, snapping his eyes open. Lee was staggering, his hands clutching his eyes. Naruto brandished a kunai and touched it lightly against Lee's throat as the taijutsu genius fell to his knees and vomited hard, the blow the flash bang had inflicted to his inner ear most painful, no doubt.

Naruto quickly pulled back the ninja tool as Lee pushed upward and shoved him back when he wobbled to his feet. The genin clutched his stomach, his eyes tightly shut as he recovered from the vertigo.

"Naruto, that was…a most un-youthful choice of victory, but…I suppose you did refrain from using ninjutsu," Gai commented from his vantage point where he watched the match.

Naruto glowered at the jounin and crossed his arms under his chest. _'Really, Gai? How else am I supposed to win without using ninjutsu or genjutsu?'_

He felt a bit sorry for Lee, on the other hand; it'd take him a few minutes to regain his bearings.

"Leave Naruto-chan alone," Fukusaku commanded in a warning manner, landing on Naruto's head with a light plop. "Your boy here knocked the stuffing out of him for most of the battle. But, Naruto-chan has guts and a diehard attitude, and he finished the fight, and that's what counts!"

"Well, Lee's flames of youth were also being held within! He could not use his more powerful abilities against his cute and precious comrade, Naruto, in good faith," the jounin argued.

"Naruto-chan can take on anything you throw at him!"

Naruto blinked, and his eyes widened. He felt dread fill him and he shook his head quickly. He hesitated to speak on his own behalf, but the toad sage's fist smashing into his skull silenced him.

"Ow!"

"Oh ho! I sense a challenge! Then so be it! I will pit my team of youthful genin against Kakashi's apprentice!" Konoha's Noble Green Beast bellowed as he staunchly pointed at said target.

"Hey, hey, now, you wait a minute! I don't recall agree—ow! Stop it, you miserable old—ow!" Naruto spoke, glaring upward at the bearded amphibian that kept on punching him whenever he dared to open his mouth.

Naruto felt his eyes tear a bit as the toad pulled on his hairs and grabbed at him to make him stop. "All right! All right! I'll do it…just stop pulling my hair, damn it!"

_'Damn it! I thought Kaka-sensei and Yamato-sensei were cruel! I hope Ero-Kyoufu comes back soon, before I go bald. Fukusaku's harsher than all three of them combined!'_

The last Uzumaki visibly winced as the toad leaned over to whisper in his ears. "This is for the pride of the Toad clan, Naruto-chan. If you lose…I'm pretty sure Bunta-chan won't be pleased with you…"

He paled and gulped. _'As if I didn't have enough motivation, you pushy old bastard! Wait a minute. Aw, kill me now! Ino's still pissed off about last week! She'll probably go overboard…'_

The elder toad sage leapt off his head and the blond rubbed his head. He looked ahead and watched as Ino and Tenten approached Lee. The spandex-clad shinobi seemed less shaken, pale and ill as he cleaned out his ears with his finger.

Team Gai converged and huddled, whispered in a conspiring manner, and glanced at him from time to time.

Naruto glimpsed at his damaged hand and frowned. He screwed his eyes shut and pulled some of the excess youki he could feel lurking in his tenketsu. He bit his lower lip to cover his grimace and looked away. The popping sound of his bones fusing back into place sent a shudder down his spine.

Gai summarily explained the rules of engagement. "Naruto, you are allowed to use anything in your arsenal except the Kyuubi. Lee, if you are going to use the Hachimon, then don't use more than two."

The son of the Yellow Flash stole a quick look at his girlfriend in an imploring manner. She, however, seemed intent to be stubborn and returned a cool, haughty gaze. _'Geez, cut a guy a break, why don't you? It's been a freaking week!'_

Lee shot him a very angry glare, obviously not quite appreciating the earlier way their spar ended and lifted his leg warmers. Naruto tensed up and watched Tenten and Ino begin to walk away from Lee. _'So…they're going to try and flank me, are they?'_

In a fraction of a second, Lee ripped off his weights and tossed them forward. Naruto watched the taijutsu specialist literally vanish from sight as he was forced to leap sideways to avoid being crushed by the obscene amount of weight rushing toward him.

The blond chuunin nimbly landed on his feet and immediately ran through some lightning-fast hand seals, catching the approaching projectiles in his peripheral vision. 'Fuuton…'

He didn't finish the sequence as Lee's foot smashed into his face with mind-shattering force. He didn't have much time to react, so he acted on instinct and spun his body like a top while expelling wind chakra.

He smirked as he heard Lee's grunt as his shin met an impenetrable barrier. The momentum and force propelled Lee off balance and into a nearby tree. Naruto stopped his rotation.

His sixth sense beckoned him to shift his position, and he obeyed. He heard the thud of steel sinking into wood and grass around him as he landed roughly on his feet, only to hear a sizzling sound surrounding him._ 'Now…that's a bit extreme!'_

Naruto shut his eyes and hastily blazed through several hand seals. He felt his chakra rush to his legs and propelled himself forward, literally bursting in one direction at an extreme speed via the Shunshin no Jutsu.

_'Kakashi-sensei wasn't kidding when he said it can come in handy…'_

He summoned two shadow clones the moment his propelled motion stopped and ducked, allowing one of his clones to dispel when a frighteningly accurate kunai sunk into its groin. _'Damn it, Ino! That was close!'_

Naruto blinked and noticed that no explosions erupted. _'So, you tricked me and flushed me out… now, what are you going to do …?'_

He watched his surroundings morph and quickly made a single hand seal _'Kai!'_ He blinked and his eyes widened as the surroundings didn't stop. _'Multiple layer genjutsu, is it?'_

He clapped his hands together and gathered his chakra into a tight ball in the center of his being before expelling it fiercely.

'KAI!' he thought in fierce anger, and, this time, the illusion abruptly vanished, only to reveal a most distressing sight.

Chains wrapped around his body, tightly constricting him.

"Do it, Lee!" he heard Tenten cry out with urgency.

_'Omoto Renge, is it?'_ Naruto dishearteningly mused and his lips jerked as Lee's foot crashed into his stomach with titanic might.

He felt bile rise in his throat and shut his eyes as he was catapulted into the air.

_'Gotcha…'_ Naruto thought as his body, which was that of the Kaze Kage Bunshin he summoned earlier, exploded with into a wild gust of wind chakra. His thoughts melted into the mind of the original Naruto whom had until then remained hidden underground in waiting, thanks to the use of Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu.

Naruto burst from the earth and made a single hand seal, summoning a single clone. The two Naruto made two different hand seal sequences. One of them unleashed the 'Suiton: Mizuame Nabara,' covering Lee and the surrounding area around him in highly sticky, chakra-enforced water_. _

_'Thanks, Izumo-senpai! Lee'll never break outta that without chakra to repel the chakra in the water.'_

The original Naruto, on the other hand, finished his seal sequence with the Snake hand seal and pushed his right palm forward, unleashing the high-velocity 'Suiton: Hahonryuu'. The torrent of liquid smashed quite painfully into Lee's body, forcing him with unyielding force into a nearby tree.

He ignored Lee and heard strings being cut. He heard it, a massive wave of metallic death being unleashed in every direction around him. His lips parted to reveal an almost evil grin. _'Neji, eat your heart out!'_

Naruto spread his arms across his body, converting his life force into wind chakra before expelling it with all he could muster. He started spinning rapidly as the howling winds began to stir from the imbalance.

"Senpuu Kaiten!" he cried and the wind chakra around him furiously screeched.

A massive, tornado-like gale formed around him, repelling the projectiles. He stopped spinning and looked around him. He blinked as his surroundings blurred and he felt vertigo strike him. _'Shit…I guess the Byakugan is what makes sure he doesn't wanna puke once he's done!'_

Naruto cursed and started running through several hand seals.

_'I need some space!'_ He made four quick hand seals and pushed both of his hands forward, his wind chakra exploding forth via the 'Daitoppa.'

He fell to his knees, clutching his head to try to make the spinning sensation stop._ 'Kakashi-sensei told me not to try experimental jutsu on the fly! Ugh! Why do I always pull this crap?'_

He vaguely heard some trees toppling over. _'Crap, I think I may have overdone it a bit…'_

His body stiffened and he felt a foreign chakra invade his own. _'W-what is this?' _he wondered as the presence gripped his limbs, his arms moving on his own. _'So, this is one of the Yamanaka ninjutsu…?'_

Naruto's eyes narrowed and watched helplessly as Tenten came charging at him, hefting a club that was almost as big as she was. _'Sorry, Ino-chan…but I'm pretty skilled at repelling invaders!'_

He overlapped his chakra over what he sensed was neither his nor the fox's and felt sensation returning to his limbs. He coated his palm with wind chakra and simply outstretched his arm, blocking the offensive weapon.

He pushed some chakra into the soles of feet and legs, and, before Tenten could blink, he hit the back of her head in a chopping motion, knocking her to the ground.

He suddenly lifted his hand, gripping Ino's wrist as she materialized behind him from the shroud of genjutsu, stopping her from 'killing him.' A random notion hit him and a foxy grin spread over his face.

_'I'll show you what you get for a week of acting bitchy and ignoring me and then trying to castrate me with a kunai!'_

He whirled around, dipping her low. He sighed as he tasted her soft, inviting lips, a flash of pleasure rushing through him. She momentarily stiffened in his arms before her soft lips parted and he felt her tongue plunge into his mouth. _'I've missed this…it's almost not worth it…almost!'_

His hand reached behind her head, as if to hold her in place before he pressed the pressure point on her spine and caught her limp body in his arms. _'Most creative win ever!'_

Fukusaku whooped and whistled as he landed on his head. "You're a chip off the old block! I remember how Minato-chan used that on your mother on Myoubokuzan!"

Naruto fell flat on his face. "I don't know if I should be flattered or embarrassed…" he muttered under his breath. As he laid face-down, the mental image hit him and he quivered, cringing and shutting his eyes tightly.

_'Damn you, you wrinkly old toad! Why'd you have to kill the mood like that?'_

**

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Jutsu Glossary

_Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique_ - This displacement technique is a specialty of the Ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.

_Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique_ - This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed.

_Senpuu Kaiten - Whirlwind Rotation_ – An experimental ninjutsu (at this stage) created by Naruto. Which is essentially a use of pure elemental manipulation to bastardize the Hyuuga's Hakkeshou Kaiten. Instead of a sphere, Naruto's rotates while expelling wind chakra, creating a tornado like vortex that's speed can repel projectiles.

_Suiton: Mizuame Nabara - Water Release: Syrup Capture Field_ - The user spits out high-viscosity, chakra-mixed water, aimed at a surface of wide scope. This is a stream of sticky liquid which can be used to form an adhesive trap that can inhibit a person's mobility. One can effectively reduce their enemy's area of activity with this technique, and has the effect of being able to take complete control over the battlefield.

_Fuuton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough - _This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight

_Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu – Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique _- A ninjutsu where the user conceals themselves underground and drags the object of their attack down into the earth, robbing them of their freedom. In addition, they can start another attack. This technique was originally used for torture, by cutting into the enemy's neck

_Suiton: Hahonryuu – Water Release: Tearing Torrent _- This technique creates water that spirals in the user's hand and fires at a high-speed burst at the enemy. The overall amount of water formed is large enough to help extinguish even large-scale fire release techniques

_Omote Renge - Front Lotus _- This taijutsu technique requires the opening of the first of the Hachimon, giving the user five times their normal strength. The user launches the opponent into the air and then uses Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. Once behind the opponent, the user restrains them and piledrives them into the ground headfirst while rotating at a ferocious speed.


	5. 4: Of Sneak Attacks & New Paths

**Disclaimer: ****The Naruto Franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, 'Shounen Jump' and other affiliated companies with intellectual property rights over the franchise**

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A/N:

**1) **Thanks to **DarkHeroOrion**for his speedy and masterful Beta work. Please check out his marvelous new story 'Wild Fire' (/s/6785618/1/). I promise you sticking to it won't leave you disappointed since he's got killer plotting skills and superb writing ability.

**2)** Special thanks as usual to **rasengan86** and **DarkHeroOrion** for his input and helping me weave and moderate my plot as I go, this story wouldn't half as reasonable or coherent without their support and assistance.

**3**) Thanks to **LD1449**'s advice I've repaired Gaara's talking in the previous chapter. I hadn't noticed I was channeling post TS Gaara so early in the game. So I've mellowed it down considerably to take in account he's still unsure and awkward without his 'Bijuu's voice in his head and human interactions are still foreign to him. It isn't too crucial plot-wise, but note Gaara won't be as mellow or playful as he was initially for a while, as he's still coming out of his shell.

**4**) I had to cut out a Sakura scene I won't possibly be able to finish this weekend and have beta-approved and I don't want to push the update to next week or later, so I'll push the scene into the next chapter whenever it may come out. Anyhow, I know there's a bit less Naruto than you might've gotten used to in recent chapters, but don't worry, he'll come back with vengeance in the next chapter!

**5**) I'm unsure when I'll update next, I've made quite the run in the last month or so and updated rather regularly. However, I'm about to enter a rather stressful month or so at work and the university so I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with this update schedule though I'll do my best to update at least once.

**Anyhow, Read, Review and Enjoy!**

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Japanese Word Glossary

Hokage – Fire Shadow  
Mizukage – Water Shadow  
Rokubi – Six Tails  
Kyuubi – Nine Tails  
Godaime – The Fifth  
Ero-Kyoufu – Perverted Godfather  
Senpuu Kaiten – Whirlwind Rotation  
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist  
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf  
Sunagakure – Hidden Sand  
Konoha – Leaf  
Kumo - Cloud  
Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit  
Hi no Kuni - Fire Country

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**

(Afternoon, Two days later, hero memorial monument, Konohagakure)

Hatake Kakashi sighed heavily as he gazed at the monument to the fallen._ 'Hey, Obito, Rin. I'm sorry I've been absent lately. You wouldn't believe how energetic Sensei's son is!' _

He smiled beneath his mask and shut his visible eye. If he tried hard enough, he could almost hear Rin's tinkling laughter in the wind. _'Though, I confess he's a lot more like Kushina than his dad. He's got her loud mouth, tactlessness and her preference for using shadow clones to augment his fighting style.'_

In his mind's eye, he could almost imagine Obito's deadpan expression and he smirked to himself. _'Don't be like that, Obito. She was like a big sister to me and she was really sweet for the most part, even if we used to get jealous about how Sensei went gaga over her all the time…'_

The Copy Ninja opened his eye and place his hand on the cool surface._ 'I promise I'll try to visit soon again. That is__,__ if my wayward pupil doesn't get himself into too much trouble again. I swear…that kid's caught Jiraiya-sama's gift of hovering around hotheaded women and pissing them off down to a tee.'_

"You really shouldn't dwell on the past so much, Hatake-senpai. It'll get you killed one of these days."

Kakashi's visible eye sharply opened as he whirled around while making hand seals at a rapid pace. "And I always told you that you shouldn't sneak up me, Itachi."

"You know why I'm here, senpai," Itachi, clad in the black robes decorated with red clouds of his organization, monotonously drawled while Kakashi's fire ninjutsu struck nothing but air; the Uchiha's silhouette dispersed like dust in the wind.

Kakashi felt his heart pound in his ear and a chill ran down his spine. He pulled his forehead protector off his Sharingan eye and spoke in an icy tone. "You won't lay a finger on Naruto."

The son of the White Fang noticed, for the first time, that the last of the Uchiha wore an eye-patch over his right eye. Only his left Sharingan appeared visible and it began to rapidly swirl. _'What the hell? Did something happen to his eye?'_

He tried to cover up his grimace from displeasure. _'I won't be able to defeat him on my own. I have to call for backup!_' Kakashi realized and his mind raced with possible battle plans until one tickled his fancy. _'Let's see how you fair without your eyesight, Itachi.'_

Kakashi's hands raced through the seals at a blurry speed.

'Kirigakure no Jutsu,' the Copy Ninja willfully thought as the air around them considerably thickened. He covered his implanted eye to conserve his chakra and knelt down to place his palm against the ground.

He closed his dichromatic eyes, expanded his senses, and quickly rolled to his left, hearing the sound of projectiles whistling by him. Kakashi pivoted the moment he rose into a crouching position and unleashed a kunai. He quickly ran through a jutsu he had picked up from his apprentice, of all people. _'Bless your foresight, Kushina…'_

'Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,' he forced with great intent and pushed out his essence. As a follow-up, the ashen-haired ninja started making hand seals and thrust his hands against the earth beneath him. The sound of steel hitting steel rang out in the air. The genius Uchiha obviously was not deterred by his blindness.

_'Don't get too comfortable, Itachi…'_

Kakashi shifted sideways, the sound of metal whistling past him alarmingly close. He grunted painfully as something smashed into his abdomen; belatedly, he realized, it was Itachi's foot. He staggered a few steps backward before he carefully rushed through some hand seals as he literally felt the follow-up ninjutsu rush toward him.

'Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!'

He threw his palms forward, cupping them together and propelling a swirling spiral of wind chakra. The veil of mist was torn apart by the fierce ninjutsu and plowed right through both it and the water bullets Itachi fired off. The Uchiha nimbly weaved out of the way of the attack and rushed the Copy Ninja.

The ashen-haired jounin charged forward as well, narrowly dodging Itachi's blade lunge, by swerving sideways. He barely blocked the subsequent roundhouse kick before he lifted his left hand, capturing Itachi's wrist and preventing his ensuing decapitation, whereas his right hand captured Itachi's right fist where it nearly smashed into his ribcage.

Itachi's cornea seemed to expand briefly and Kakashi cursed as, in the blink of an eye, he was entrapped by a massive tree trunk, its branches constricting his body and arms.

_'This is just like Kurenai's genjutsu…'_ he reasoned and bit his lower lip as pain invaded his chest cavity where a blade pierced his flesh.

His body popped and vanished and his thoughts flashed into his original body, just as it burst from behind Itachi. He stabbed his enemy's upper chest from behind, his uncovered Sharingan spinning rapidly and he had waited patiently for this chance. "You've gotten careless, Itachi. You've forgotten to watch your back. By now, ANBU will be on their way here, considering one of my Tsuchi Bunshin has rushed to alert them…"

Itachi's body turned inky black and broke apart into chunks of liquid matter which reformed into crows, which audibly cawed. Kakashi's body froze as he felt a breath hit his neck and ear from behind.

He spun around and his Sharingan eye locked with Itachi's, though Kakashi had never seen such a Sharingan before. The commas had blended into an ebony three-point ninja star with a red circle in its center.

The next exclaim left his body and heart as heavy as lead. He felt his throat dry and mentally apologized to his student and Tsunade for his failure. "Unfortunately, they won't be here fast enough for you, Hatake-senpai. Tsukuyomi…"

**

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(Meanwhile, Underground Laboratory, somewhere in the Sea Country)

Anko's eyes snapped open as she hungrily gasped for oxygen. Her head spun, a dull throbbing sensation thundering through her temples. It was dark and cold, wherever she was. Her body was naked by the breeze she felt caress her skin. Her clouded vision shifted around the room, her skin crawling from more than just the temperature as she saw various contraptions spread across the room.

_'Orochimaru…you sick bastard, I'll kill you for this__,__ if it's the last thing I ever do!'_

She had no idea what he had done to her. Often he kept her deeply sedated during whatever sordid experiments he was running on her. Whenever he wasn't 'working' on her, they strapped a mask to her face and kept on pumping drugs into her system.

_'I have to get out here! I have to get back home…' _she frantically pondered as she tried to move.

She bit her lower lip, hard, muffling a cry of pain as her chakra was violently repelled by an outer force. She looked down at her body for the first time, taking note of the heavy chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles with various fuuinjutsu carved on their surface glowing ominously in the dim setting.

It appeared as if they were binding her to the surface of the lab cot on which she lay. Additionally, she saw a breathing apparatus connected to a machine that had been removed from her face and now tantalizingly sat on her upper chest.

_'You've learned new tricks since we've last met…you son of a bitch!'_ the snake summoner sourly cogitated. She couldn't, for the life of her, remember when she was brought here or how, nor could she remember anything noteworthy being here.

"You're awake. Good," a rough, somewhat excited voice came from the door across the room. Anko cut her gaze to the skinny, oily individual she hated with a burning passion.

It was one of Orochimaru's former right-hand researchers; the man who had mocked her and laughed at her plight when Orochimaru abandoned her in Sea Country all those years ago.

_'Amachi…'_

"My, you've grown into quite a stunning specimen, Anko-chan. You surely aren't a little girl anymore, are you?" The man chuckled pleasantly as he approached her, shamelessly ogling her body.

"Orochimaru was a fool to bring me back into the fold. I know he has some kind of special plan for you. He's been obsessively secretive when he worked on you for hours on end, so it must be something special. I don't know what it is, but I'm not about to let him to enjoy the fruits of his labor. I think I'll take you to my own lab and try to see exactly what that snaky pervert did to you! That is, among other things I had in mind for someone like you, my dear."

Anko started panting harder every inch closer the treacherous little weasel got to her. Her blood pumped and she felt her body tremble uncontrollably. Her eyes widened with pain and confusion as she felt something move _inside_ her, right under the surface of her skin.

Amachi removed a syringe from his coat and flicked it lightly with his finger, oblivious to her plight. She tightly shut her eyes and bit back a scream when he leaned closer and the agony became unbearable, she felt her skin nearly split and relief filled her as something burst from beneath her skin.

She heard Amachi cry in surprise and cautiously opened one eye. _'What the fuck?'_

Her mind reeled as she looked down to her arms. Her skin had stretched, but instead of tearing, several large, white snakes protruded from her skin like creeper vines, wrapping quite firmly around her would-be abductor. _'Wh-what the fuck did you do to me, Orochimaru?'_

The snakes seemed to resonate with her emotions, her reeling sensation causing them to quickly retreat, dropping the suffocating victim. However, it would do him no good. She could see several puncture marks on his skin…

They had poisoned him.

_'If only I could get out of here!'_ She tried to project her intent and, to her great surprise, the alabaster serpents obeyed her silent command. They slithered around the chains binding her, and suddenly pulled with great force, literally tearing the chains like paper.

Anko shakily tried to stand, her legs buckling beneath her. She shivered and, with great effort, pulled herself to her feet. She uneasily grimaced as the white snakes receded into her very flesh and a bitter thought rushed through her mind. _'I hate to admit it…but you just might come in handy…but now…to get out of here!'_

**

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(Several hours later, Private Hospital Room, Genjutsu damage ward, Konoha Hospital)

Tsunade surveyed the prone form of Hatake Kakashi with a solemn expression on her face.

_'Uchiha…Itachi. What are you up to?'_

It didn't make any sense. Jiraiya's anonymous source within Akatsuki reported they were not ready to begin their nefarious plans for the Bijuu.

She lightly massaged the Copy Ninja's temples, probing his chakra pathways with a simple diagnostic jutsu. Her fingertips were coated by tendrils of green life force. _'So__,__ why did you attack a ninja as skilled as Kakashi when Naruto was manning the main gate with a couple of chuunin?'_

The last of the Senju bit her lower lip and pulled away from him. _'The neural pathways regulating emotions and pain have been overloaded. His mind must've shut down to protect his brain from lasting trauma. What kind of technique could do something like this…did he use Tsukuyomi?'_

"Shizune!" Tsunade called out suddenly.

She waited until the brunette child rushed into the room before turning towards her. "Keep Kakashi sedated for forty-eight hours. Keep monitoring his brain activity, and once it and his blood pressure drop to normal levels, call for me."

Before she dashed out the hospital room, she heard the sound of a cane hit the floor behind her and three presences she never enjoyed being around alone or together converged. _'Damned geezers…Why Sarutobi-sensei ever gave you bastards any authority and leeway to influence his decisions__,__ I'll never know!'_

"Shizune, do you mind leaving us for a couple of minutes?" the Godaime tenderly asked, keeping her emotions in check. She then shot her protégé a quick 'make sure we're not disturbed' look and watched the younger woman nod in haste. She bowed to the three elder ninja before she left the room.

"Tsunade, we came as soon as we heard of Hatake being found next to the memorial stone," Homura evenly declared.

_'I'm sure you did, like buzzards hovering around a bloody corpse…'_ Tsunade bitterly believed and kept her back to the elders, only glancing at them over her shoulder.

"Do we know what happened?" Koharu demanded, her voice sharper than her former teammate when the silence fell between the occupants of the room. "The presence of someone able to utterly overwhelm someone like Kakashi is…disconcerting."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed a fraction, but her lips imperceptibly twitched. "Kakashi managed to call for help when he was attacked, and Gai, the person who made first contact with his assailant ,was standing beside an unconscious Kakashi. Unfortunately, he was unable to apprehend him before he escaped."

"Stop dawdling, Tsunade. Who was it?" Danzou curtly exclaimed.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as soon as the words slipped out of her lips. "Uchiha Itachi."

"And he spared him?" Koharu broke the silence, her tone a bit parched as she coughed into her hand.

She noticed Danzou was uncharacteristically quiet. He usually offered far more barbed words. _'Are you…afraid, Danzou? Did your little shadow operations piss off the wrong Uchiha among the countless others?'_

"We are unsure what Itachi wanted exactly. In several days, once Kakashi recovers, we'll know for certain." Tsunade brushed off their inquiries and turned to them, noticing they made no move to leave._ 'What now?'_

"That is not the only reason we came here." Danzou finally seemed to return to the conversation, and the way the edge of his lip quirked just a modicum sent dread racing down her spine, though she showed no outward signs to reveal that.

_'What have you geezers done?' _

"Daimyo-sama has taken an interest in Uzumaki, and he was very displeased to hear how you're squandering his potential by keeping him mostly grounded to Konohagakure," Danzou informed her after the tense silence.

Tsunade's narrowed and her eyebrow ticked dangerously but otherwise she kept her façade cool. "I see. And what did our esteemed Daimyo have to say about the situation?"

"In light of Itachi being able to infiltrate Konoha so easily, and neutralize one of our strongest ninja, it seems Daimyo-sama's foresight is all the more accurate," Homura intoned uncomfortably as Koharu handed her a small scroll with the appropriate crest stamped on its wax seal.

The blonde Hokage unfurled the scroll which was no more than a glorified, wordy manner for the Daimyo to order two things: the first, Uzumaki Naruto must fulfill a solo mission for him; and the second was for Tsunade to accelerate his mission load and training and notified her that the elder three would be reporting to him on his progress on a bi-weekly basis from now on.

Tsunade bit the inner side of her cheek and shut her eyes briefly. "I'll cut back on his casual duties, as it seems I have no choice. But, Naruto isn't moving an inch from Konoha unescorted by Kakashi or Tenzo, and that's _final_."

"I second your motion."

Danzou surprised all the assorted people in the room. "However, Kakashi is not enough. I will delegate one of my own students to…"

"Absolutely not!" Tsunade punctuated with a hint of finality. "I am Hokage, despite your better efforts and meddling. I will handle the security of my ninja in the way I see fit." She turned her back to them and waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Now, if you don't mind, you've made your point clear, and I will react accordingly. Now, leave me. I have a patient to attend to."

She inwardly bristled as she heard them leave without a fuss, for once. They were smug and pleased; they had forced her hand after weeks of arguing in vain. They had done the one thing she couldn't defend against…

They went behind her back.

_'You may have won this round, you shriveled prunes, but you'll pay for this! I won't take this insult lying down! And don't think I'll rush this mission the Daimyo shoved down my throat either…I won't send him on it until Kakashi's there to protect him and guide him as he goes.'_

She was about to storm out to look for her stash of sake when a popping sound caught her attention. A small orange toad spat out its tongue, which was wrapped around a scroll. _'This had better be good news…_' She sighed. _'Damn…I wish I could drink on the job like I used to.'_

She unrolled the scroll, undeterred by the mucus on the outer surface. Her eyes skimmed over the scroll and her eyes marginally narrowed.

_'It seems I'll need to inform the technology division to accelerate our research and advance the initiative I had in mind earlier than I intended. Be careful, you old pervert. Don't you dare die on me while you're snooping around the darkest secrets of the ninja villages!'_

**

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(That evening, training field three)

Uzumaki Naruto let loose a dejected sigh, frowning with his brows furrowed. _'I can't believe Kakashi-sensei ditched me. He knows how hard it is for us to get some one-on__-__one training time with our conflicting schedules!'_

They had agreed to meet at Training Field Three an hour ago. His sensei was rarely late, nowadays. He had started taking things more seriously ever since Sasuke died and there was that looming promise in that Tsunade had threatened him with bodily harm in case he degenerated back to that particularly nasty habit.

_'I guess if he's not coming__,__ I might as well make myself useful' _he rationalized, attempting to lift his spirits, and bit his thumb. He made the quick, five hand seals and slapped his hand against the ground with a light thump.

A small cloud was invoked and the voice of Gamakichi croaked happily, **"Yo, Naruto! What's up?"**

Naruto was thirteen and then some when he took the Chuunin Exams and was nearing his fourteenth birthday in earnest. It was only several months away, but already he felt like a whole different person than he was back then, when he graduated from the Academy.

First and foremost, he wasn't a midget anymore. Kakashi-sensei's change in his diet had paid off, and the beginnings of a growth spurt had helped quiet his old insecurities about his height.

His body had filled out with muscle, thanks to hours or hours of taijutsu training and 'light conditioning' with Fukusaku and the general intensity of training with his various jounin sensei and some of his chuunin peers.

Gamakichi was also growing. Where he used to fit on top of his head, the toad boss' elder offspring was now towered at his height. "I need m'mom's scroll, and I don't have any sweets but…"

Gamakichi's face puffed and he pulled out a black cylinder from his mouth, handing it to Naruto. He popped open the lid and removed the priceless parchment from within it. Tsunade had warned him that with his rising notoriety, people might seek his secrets to exploit them or learn his weaknesses.

That was why he had taken a page out of his godfather's book and trusted his toad familiars to protect his mother's scrolls and books for him.

**"That's fine, Naruto. You know I'd pay money to see you blow yourself up all the time, but this is much better!"**

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, but he shrugged off that comment and sighed. "Fine. You can watch, but don't get too close. This isn't like the synchronized ninjutsu training Ero-kyoufu had us do. You could get hurt…"

**"Yeah, Yeah. Don't get your ovaries twisted, Naruto. I'll be fine!"**

Naruto gritted his teeth. _'I swear, all of those toads have attitude issues!'_

With that, the toad leapt off the ground, landing a respectable distance away.

Naruto examined his initial inheritance from his mother, the scroll full of ninjutsu and elemental manipulation tips spread open in front of him. His eyes darted over the neat writing, thoroughly examining it.

As his knowledge and control over the wind element grew, Naruto had become more comfortable with the idea of experimenting with it. It was that he had a respectable number of ninjutsu at his disposal, but, it wasn't enough.

He wanted more. He had taken up Uzumaki Tiger-style of taijutsu, learned the various ninjutsu gathered by his various sensei, and, at times, his peers over the years, but he wanted something of his own.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of his late parents or his sensei and friends. His mother was apparently very gifted in the art of raw elemental manipulation—if less so in ninjutsu—and she was a genius seal mistress equaled only by his father, the notorious yellow flash.

_'I want to make them proud…'_ Naruto determined weeks ago and ever since he had been experimenting with his strongest abilities. He had invented his own variant of the Hyuuga's Kaiten defensive technique that was still work in progress.

He still needed to find a way to overcome the dizziness, and he had plans for that particular jutsu_. 'Maybe I'll ask Hinata, since she learned the technique recently from Hiashi. Somehow__,__ I think asking Neji or Hiashi will end with me hurting from extremities I'm not even aware of!'_

He had many ideas, some more practical for others, but one of them kept on nagging at him lately. If he pulled it off, it would complement his style and be the bane of all his enemies. He was still trying to nail down the 'Bunshin Daibakuha' and the Kaze Kage Bunshin, which was little more than a glorified Kage Bunshin with wind chakra pumped within it.

The latter was useful for setting up all manners of explosion traps that would be augmented by the wind chakra, or repelling enemies and sending them off balance. If he could somehow blend the concepts of storing wind chakra in the clone, and then making it explode outward…

"All right, let's get this show on the road!" he called out and made the seal for the shadow clone.

* * *

(**Meanwhile, in a Roots compound hidden beneath Konoha**)

Shimura Danzou sat in a chair, deep in thought. Tsunade's revelation had unsettled him. His single visible eye thoughtfully narrowed as he gazed into the flames of a nearby hearth._ 'Just what is your game, you accursed Uchiha?'_

His hand tightened around his cane. Itachi was not an enemy he wanted to cross.

Even with the modifications Orochimaru had engineered in his DNA, which allowed him to blend Senju Hashirama's cells with the various Sharingan he had acquired over the years, he wasn't certain he could defeat the elder Uchiha in combat.

He would have to manipulate things into his favor, somehow. He needed to distract Itachi and force him to target someone else in Danzou's stead; preferably, away from Konohagakure proper. _'Hmmm…Akatsuki is fascinated by the Bijuu. Then, perhaps…'_

His thoughts were disrupted when a presence made itself known behind him. The master of the Roots shadow corps glanced over his left shoulder. He easily recognized his most trustworthy assassin, the prodigy of the Aburame clan. "Torune, report."

"Danzou-sama," the goggle wearing ninja humbly murmured, keeping his head bowed in respect, "our contact in Kirigakure reports Fujitsu Mashashi has returned, bearing his mythical blade…"

Danzou outwardly remained cool, but processed the information inwardly at a fervent pace. _'Oh? So that monster of a man still lives? It took all seven swordsmen to kill him back then…Hm, he might complicate things.'_

"…Also, Kirigakure is desperately seeking any traces of the Rokubi's Jinchuuriki. Though we have no information to substantiate it, we are quite certain they are applying equal efforts in tracking down the former Mizukage, Yagura, as well."

Danzou's eye became an almond-shaped slit.

The old war hawk became quite displeased with the rapid recovery efforts and rearmament race the isle-dwelling ninja village undertook. He wanted to know the one responsible, so he could remove him or her from the equation. "Who is leading them? Who is their Godaime Mizukage?"

"Her name is Mei, presumably the last of the Terumi clan. We are unsure as to what entails the scope of her abilities, but, considering her power and the fearful respect some of the former nuke-nin feel towards her, we assume she has inherited the full force of that clan's fearsome double kekkei genkai."

Danzou rubbed his chin and came to a decision he knew was necessary, though he would derive great pleasure from knocking Kiri back to its rightful place, at the bottom of the food chain. _'So__,__ it seems you are healing the rift regarding the treatment of bloodline carriers in your nation, Terumi. I will stop this. I will reignite the civil war which plagued your nation for decades.' _

"Torune, once you've rested, I have a long term new mission for you. Take one of the Bikochuu beetle eggs you've collected over the years. There is sample of Yagura's DNA in storage unit thirty-nine. Use the beetle once it hatches to find him, and then, I want you to leak his location to the black market."

The Aburame nodded and bowed until his head touched the ground in a humble gesture. With that, his body blurred as he vanished from his presence, leaving him to his thoughts. _'Heh, Yagura is a fearsome ninja by any parameter. By setting Akatsuki on his trail__,__ either Kiri's ambitions will be quashed or__,__ alternatively__,__ he will weaken the organization for me.'_

His blood raced with anticipation, everything seeming to work according to plan. Naruto was being usurped from Tsunade's protective grip by order of the Daimyo, thus granting him the opportunity to learn of the true role of Shinobi. Kiri's plans were painfully obvious, and he would react accordingly, but, best of all, even if his men were caught in Mizu no Kuni, Tsunade would be the one to suffer the consequences!

* * *

(**Two days Later, Sarutobi Asuma's residence**)

Asuma puffed a shallow sigh, biting on a toothpick instead of his usual cigarette of choice. Ever since Kurenai moved in with him, she forbade him from smoking in or around the house. She said the smell offended her nose. _'Tch, troublesome woman. You've got the most roundabout way of 'asking' me to stop smoking.'_

He was sitting on the porch outside, sitting in a lotus manner in front of a small table, a shogi board lying open upon it. In front of him sat the most senior of Sunagakure's surviving ninja, Baki.

The battle-worn veteran wasn't half bad at the board game, though nobody was quite as good as old Shikaku or his son, Shikamaru. "So, how exactly do you want to do this, Baki-san? These are your countrymen, after all."

"I'm not quite sure. I'm still surprised with your Hokage. You Leaf-nin have treated us much better than I expect most of your population and ninja believe we deserve," Baki commented composedly, rubbing his chin as he observed the pieces. He was obviously trying to figure out how to outwit the heir of the Sarutobi family.

Asuma shrugged. "You know what they say: 'war makes for strange bed fellows', Baki-san. Killing you all would be monstrous and pooling our forces together benefits all of us," he simply responded and moved his right hand to stroke his beard. His dark eyes flicked over to his opponent that visibly tensed at the reminder.

"Yes, but, when the time comes, we will be most insistent on getting our chance to take our pound of flesh from Kumo for what they've done," Baki acknowledged with a bitter grimace, his visible eye narrowing.

A silence lulled between them and they continued playing for several more minutes before Baki shattered the hanging pause. "So, what should we call this specialized force the Hokage would have us co-command, Asuma-san?"

"We'll have enough time to discuss such trivial manners later. What's more important is that we begin pooling our resources and planning battle tactics and training regimes and chose our second-in-command," Asuma remarked and his dark orbs flicked towards the street.

"Temari is one of our brightest young kunoichi; she is very sharp, ruthless in battle and gifted in the art wind chakra manipulation. Most importantly, for our agenda, however, is the fact she is respected by all the survivors," Baki explained.

Asuma mulled over his words. He remembered the kunoichi who dueled with Naruto in the preliminary round of the Chuunin Exams. She was, indeed, dedicated, sharp and powerful. She kept to her mission, even though she fought an individual who she knew was her superior. "Good. She seemed to be both strong, and yet, has not yet been painted with the darkness of our profession, which will make it easier for her to work with my choice."

"Oh?"

Asuma nodded, "If I could, I would ask for Nara Shikaku's help, but I doubt he'd be able to accept the role. Like us, as a veteran, he has too many grudges and scars to be able to fully accept the position, and we need people to grow into it."

He bit hard on the toothpick, his urge for a smoke growing as he spoke up once more. "His son, Nara Shikamaru, will fit the bill, though. He is a true genius with an IQ of above two hundred and is very driven and protective of his comrades. He will be most useful in the planning processes and will most likely accept your people without prejudice."

Baki's eyes widened a bit. "I see."

"I'll ask Hokage-sama if she'd agree to have the symbol of Sunagakure be tactfully combined in our ninja uniforms. I think that might help weaken hostilities and embolden moral; kind of branding our new status in a finite manner."

Baki looked at him with tapering eyes, a cautious gleam filling his dark eyes. "You think the Hokage will let us keep our past with us? After everything we've done?"

Asuma shrugged. "You'd be surprised by Tsunade-sama's capacity for blending forgiveness and practicality in her approach to leadership. Though, I would add an honorific when I address her, since she can get…upset when disrespected."

"I suppose. This was her initiative, after all," Baki murmured conversationally before the two jounin sunk back into their game, each having a lot to digest considering the surprising new appointment they received earlier that morning.

* * *

(**At the same time, Niigata province, Hi no Kuni**)

Aburame Shino pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose as he kept the rear position. His kikaichuu unnervingly buzzed beneath his skin, the bugs always acting uncommonly when in the presence of Uzumaki Naruto.

The enigmatic bug-host observed the long line of horse-drawn carts ahead of him, the subject of this protection mission. Naruto was the team leader, the Jinchuuriki sitting in a lotus position on the roof of the centermost cart.

Their formation was him at rear with his bugs and several of Naruto's clones. Yamanaka Ino and Tenten were in the center; the sensor and sharpshooter respectively able to detect and repel an initial charge, especially with Naruto being there with them, able to summon an insurmountable amount of clones and various ninjutsu. At the front of caravan were Hinata and Lee; Hinata leading them forward with her Byakugan and Lee offering support so she wasn't ambushed all on her lonesome.

Shino was still surprised he got promoted to chuunin alongside Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru. He had thought his attitude and words against the new rising star of Konoha early in the exams concerning the Kyuubi would've made Tsunade block his appointment.

However, while he still felt shame for his bigoted words back then, he still felt some resentment toward the son of the Fourth Hokage, but for entirely different reasons than he did before.

The rookie chuunin watched with growing uneasiness as how two genin kunoichi pined after the last of the Uzumaki, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it came down to blows. He was concerned for Hinata. It didn't take a doujutsu to see how deeply she cared for Naruto, nor did it take a genius to see Naruto's affections fell elsewhere – with Ino.

The bug user had a sinking feeling in his gut that, if things went south with the Yamanaka, Naruto would try to settle for the 'second best' option. The mere thought made the bug user bristle; Hinata was no man's 'sloppy seconds'! Not even if he was of such impressive lineage. She was his sister in all but blood, and he would never completely be at ease with Naruto as long as he threatened her heart.

"Hey, Shino, keep your head in the game. The enemy can be anywhere, even in Hi no Kuni," one of Naruto's clones spoke, landing beside him.

"If you were an enemy, Naruto, my kikaichuu would've devoured you alive," he deadpanned and watched with satisfaction as the clone paled a bit. It muttered something under its breath and leaped forward.

Shino was not used to being commanded by anyone who was his peer. Naruto was usually guarded by Hatake Kakashi or a jounin named Yamato. But considering the rumor mill of Kakashi's injury, it was not surprising the blond Jinchuuriki was more somber and unescorted for once. It probably also explained why their mission was within the ANBU scouting route for precautionary reasons.

They continued traveling for several long hours, before they reached the gates of their destination. They had stumbled on their way upon an ambush by several ignorant bandits on the way. The formation worked perfectly, the first wave was dispatched promptly by the combination of Lee and Hinata and the flanking forces were decimated by the sheer firepower generated by Ino, Tenten and Naruto.

He felt his presence on the mission was redundant but he dared not argue with the Hokage. If this was an attempt to 'get closer' to Naruto, it was an utter failure. He held a great deal of respect toward the blond professionally. His accomplishments were impressive, but, as a person, well, he just rubbed Shino the wrong way.

The kikaichuu-user watched Naruto iron out the payment details with their client before his attention wandered toward Hinata and Ino, who were conversing quietly a respectable distance from him.

Ino's expression was hostile and Hinata seemed somewhat uncomfortable, though he could see telltale signs of anger flickering in her lilac eyes. The Aburame made a small sound in his throat and approached the two kunoichi the moment he felt Ino's killer intent spike. _'This will not end well…'_

"Ino-san, I'm just saying perhaps you should…" Hinata explained tentatively.

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Hinata," the mind-walker interrupted rather tersely. "My relationship with Naruto is my business and everything about it is just fine!"

"Ino, p-please stay calm," Hinata cut in louder than before, her apprehension beginning to melt away at Ino's hostility. "I'm your teammate and friend. I'm just trying to help you. Can't you see n-nothing is fine? You're straining your relationship with all your deman—"

"My friend? Hah! As if!" Ino cruelly hissed, nipping the soft-spoken girl's unneeded criticism. "I know you've been lusting after Naruto for years now! I bet that'd suit you just fine if we broke up, so you could sweep in and pick up the pieces! Everyone knows all about your little crush and disaster of a date with him."

Shino owlishly blinked behind his tinted frames, his attempts to intervene cutting short when Hinata's whole body language seemed to change. What had Hiashi, Neji and Naruto done to sweet, tender-hearted Hinata? He had never seen her disposition quite so menacing and threatening. She was practically channeling her older cousin!

Ino seemed to shrink at the next words spoken in a bone-chillingly icy tone. Though the blonde was taller than Hinata, she seemed to sweat under the pressure of her voice and glare. "Yamanaka-san, I can understand you're upset and insecure about your relationship with Naruto-kun, but, just because you feel inadequate doesn't mean you are entitled to blame it on my friendship with him."

Hinata's next words were slow and cold, her Byakugan unconsciously invoked by her ire. "I will not be insulted by some selfish and shallow girl who can't even truly appreciate Naruto-kun. He works so hard…more than anyone else to protect everyone; to make time to be with you to the point that, sometimes, he skips sleeping hours for you, but you're too petty to see it."

Ino sputtered in indignation, looking properly chastised for a brief moment. Then, her infamous temper started climbing and her body trembled with fury. "You stay away from my boyfriend…you little…"

Before it could come down to profanity or blows, Naruto, who had meanwhile finished his haggling with the client, materialized between them via the Shunshin no Jutsu's burst of speed.

"Ino, Hinata, stop it now," he commanded in a surprisingly authoritative manner. Shino didn't recognize the gleam of coldness and domination in his eyes. What happened to the goofy, happy-go-lucky genin goofball that used to joke around all the time?

"You two are causing a scene, so cut it out. You're both better than this…" he spoke in a firm, calm manner and Shino watched with slight curiosity and fascination at the way both Ino and Hinata recoiled as if he slapped them.

The two kunoichi each seemed to look at the other doubtfully but nodded all the same. "Good," the Uzumaki scion casually stated, though there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Now that we're all cool again, I suggest we hurry up. Unless you want Gai-senpai to think we've been slacking off and feel it's necessary to train you harder…"

Shino blinked at the sudden consternation on Hinata's face and downright horror on Ino's. He wondered what, exactly, Gai did to his genin that was so horrible that the two feuding femmes broke apart and rejoined Lee and Tenten, even urging the other two genin to hurry.

Naruto chortled and motioned Shino to join him. Shino watched his fellow chuunin's back and a newfound respect mingled with suspicion filled him. Then, he glanced at the Hyuuga maiden, who stole a glance at the blond chuunin and kept herself pointedly away from Ino.

His chest tightened a bit, and he glared at the blond chuunin as he silently led them back home. _"This is far from over__,__ and this won't end well for anyone. Damn you, Uzumaki. Why does Hinata have to be so infatuated with you?" _

**

* * *

**

Jutsu Glossary:

_Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique_ - This displacement technique is a specialty of the Ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.  
_Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu – Kunai Shadow Clone Technique -_The user creates a thousand shadow clones from one kunai, striking down the enemy, and entrapping him in a massive field of deadly projectiles.  
_Fuuton: Kami Oroshi- Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain_ - This technique creates a vortex of wind to blast at a target.  
_Tsuchi Bunshin – Earth Release Shadow Clone - _This technique creates a clone made of mud of the user. Since it's made of mud, it can continue to reform and mould itself back to its original shape. After reverting to mud, it can hold the opponent in place.  
_Bunshin Daibakuha – Clone Great Explosion - _The user lures the target in, using a Shadow Clone as bait. The target, acting according to the principle of "attack to bring down the enemy," falls victim to a powerful explosion  
_Kaze Kage Bunshin – Wind Release Shadow Clone - _This technique creates a clone made of wind of the user. Since it's made of wind, once it is dispersed the compacted wind creates a mediocre concussive force to disorient or push the enemy back or if used in conjunction with a fire can fuel and strengthen the flames.


	6. 5: The True Burden of The Shinobi

**A/N:**

**1) **First of all my condolensces and prayers for the people of Japan in this trying hour after the disasters which struck their home. I hope the situation with the reactors is resolved soon and more lives aren't lost and the recovery efforts can begin with earnest.

**2) **Special thanks to **DarkHeroOrion **for his great Beta work. Please check out his marvelous new story 'Wild Fire' (/s/6785618/1/) as it's superbly written and the plot promises to be original and intriguing.

**3)** Special thanks as usual to **rasengan86** and **DarkHeroOrion** for his input and helping me weave and moderate my plot and to **LD1449 **for his wonderous work on helping me improve the Kyuubi dialogue, he's truly a master of diction and conversation.

**4**) I'm unsure when I'll update next, I've made quite the run in the last month or so and update rather regularly but I'm about to enter a rather stressful month or so at work and the university so I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with this update schedule though I'll do my best.

**Anyhow, Read, Review and Enjoy!**

____

**

* * *

**

Japanese Word Glossary

Hi no Kuni - Fire Country  
Nami no Kuni - Wave Country  
Densetsu no - The Legendary  
Chichiue - Father  
Jinchuuriki - Power of Human Sacrifice - Nickname for the Tailed Beast Containers  
Baa-Chan - Grannie  
Hokage – Fire Shadow  
Mizukage – Water Shadow  
Tsuchikage - Earth Shadow  
Kyuubi – Nine Tails  
Godaime – The Fifth  
Yondaime - The Fourth  
Ero-Kyoufu – Perverted Godfather  
Iwagakure no Sato - Village Hidden amongst the Rocks  
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist  
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf  
___**  


* * *

**_

(**Two days later, Hokage Tower, Konohagakure**)

Naruto sat silently in his chair, fidgeting slightly at the suffocating silence he and Tsunade shared. The blonde Senju was uncharacteristically solemn. Her brown eyes were cold and narrowed, her lips twisted into a thin line and even her meticulously combed hair appeared somewhat in disarray.

_'Has she been pulling at her hair?_' he wondered.

He bit the inner side of his cheek in a nervous tick before he heavily sighed to expel his anxiety. "Hey, baa-chan, why did you summon me? Is Kakashi-sensei alright…? Did he wake up, yet?"

"Naruto…" She cut his bombardment of questions with a weary, almost sad manner. "Kakashi is fine. I would've preferred he recovered by now so he could accompany you on your next mission. Alas, I'm afraid we can't always get what we want in life."

He waited for her to elaborate, and she did not disappoint. "The Daimyo has taken a shining to you, Naruto. He deeply respected your father during his regrettably short tenure as Hokage and expects great things from you."

His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head questioningly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

She was silent for several tense moments. "That depends on your definition of good." Her evasiveness made a knot of tension tighten in his chest as he locked blue eyes with callous brown. "He's requested you to fulfill a solo mission on his behalf."

The son of the Yellow Flash owlishly blinked, and his eyebrows flew upward. He wasn't quite sure what to say as he had mixed feelings rushing through him like a maelstrom. He was excited and flattered, however. This was a very important opportunity for him, but the hesitation and wariness Tsunade had projected in waves made him nervous and somewhat fearful.

"It's classified as an A-rank, but its sensitivity is closer to an S-rank mission, Naruto. Intelligence reports that there is a conspiracy to murder the daimyo. We suspect several advisors from his inner circle as ringleaders but have no concrete evidence to act. The daimyo has decided to take actions which will flush out the conspirators by giving them a false sense of security."

Naruto listened intently, his mind racing with the implications. The mission was incredibly sensitive and important. He likened himself to have improved greatly from his genin days, but to be given a mission like this? What entailed this mission, anyway?

She handed him a picture of a golden-skinned, middle-aged man wearing expensive clothing. The man had piercing brown eyes and a long, flowing beard. To his left was a smiling, fair-skinned younger woman with laughing green eyes and light brown hair. To his right was a bashful-looking little girl whose face was obscured where she buried it in her father's leg.

"This is the Komatsu family. The father, Soujirou, is a known supporter of the daimyo for many years now. He is absolutely innocent of this entire affair, but his execution will suffice for the Daimyo's will. You are to kill him and his family in a manner which leaves a clear message," she spoke in a quiet tone, but her words might as well have been a scream.

His head pounded and all noise in the room seemed to devolve into white static as he looked at the picture with bulging eyes. His mind reeled, and suddenly, it felt hot…so unbearably hot. His throat went dry and he his breathing quickened.

_'W-what? She can't be serious…b-but the…this is…_'

He jumped when he felt her hand touch his shoulder. When she had gotten out of her chair and gotten behind him, her other hand abruptly ruffled through his blond locks in a soothing gesture.

"It's difficult to accept, isn't it?" she asked with heavy remorse.

Naruto gulped to keep down the bile and felt his eyes sting, despite his better efforts.

"I know you don't want to do this, Naruto. It isn't fair, and it hurts to just think about it," his body stiffened when her tone, so soft and tender, seemed to tug on a part of him he hadn't even realized he missed, "but you have to put your feelings aside and see the bigger picture."

Had he ever been consoled physically like this before?

"I-I…" he stammered, trying to say something but she silenced him with a murmured shushing sound.

"You can't rationalize this shame and this pain of the soul, so don't even try, Naruto. You must learn to accept this; the true burden of a shinobi, bearing the sins and secrets of our nation to the grave as we are forced to go against our very moral fiber."

Her words drilled into his mind mercilessly, tearing into the last vestiges of childlike innocence and ignorance he clung to, even after taking his first life. _'This…just like what Haku said…_'

"I believe in you, and I care about you, Naruto. More than is perhaps healthy, given my position," she intoned with a wistful air coating her words. "You are a proud shinobi of the Leaf, no matter what. Remember that, always."

"W-what if I can't?" he choked out, unable to help it. His strangled tone affected his 'granny' as her hands tightly held onto him.

"You must," she whispered softly, "and you will," she then punctuated with confidence.

"Do not become a martyr for your ideals like Hatake Sakumo. He stood at a crossroads in a crucial mission similar to your own and chose his ideals over the objective. He chose his comrades and abandoned the assignment, and the consequences were disastrous. Suna and Iwa took advantage of the 'excuse' provided and opened war against us, and hundreds of lives were lost."

"I-I understand," Naruto murmured quietly and shut his eyes, and, when he heard her move away, he stood up rather quickly. He opened his eyes and noticed she resumed sitting by her desk, though she appeared several years older, wearier than she was before. "Should I leave now?"

She nodded once, unable to meet his eyes, it seemed. He felt some solace at the knowledge she was as pained by his mission as he was. Her next words were formal…detached, even. "Yamato will escort you to the capital. Once you arrive, find your mark, destroy the photo and fulfill your mission. Kakashi will join you in three days, and then, you two shall go report to the daimyo."

Naruto nodded once. He felt sick—disgusted by the mere notion, but he pushed down the bitterness and pragmatically clung to her words. He would be strong. He had to be.

"I-I won't disappoint you," he promised, his voice growing firm like the roots that supported a tree.

* * *

**(Several Hours later, Streets of Konoha)**

Shikamaru sighed as he walked down the streets of Konoha. He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes forward, only briefly glancing to his left, where his former teammate and childhood friend, Ino, shuffled by in a miserable heap.

He was wearing his chuunin attire, whereas Ino was clad in her routine genin outfit, though she opted to change the color from violet to black and used dark blue bandages instead of white for stealth purposes.

Ino tried to school her features to project the air of 'business as usual', but he could see the underlying worry and sadness in her body language and her eyes. He knew her better than most people, and one didn't need the Byakugan when she heaved a long sigh and bit her lower lip every time someone mentioned her significant other.

_'Geez, she's got it bad for you, Naruto. You troublesome bastard… I guess I'll pitch in to make sure you two stop being so miserable_,' he reflected with a hint of fondness mingled with exasperation.

He surprised Ino by hooking his arm with her; leading her toward a small sushi stand they passed by. "Hey, Ino, it's getting late, so let's go grab dinner. It's on me. Besides, we need to talk."

"Stop pulling me, Shikamaru! I can walk fine on my own!" Ino irately complained and pulled her arm from his clutch. The Yamanaka heiress pouted, her features scrunching up as her temper flared, but for all her fuss, she did follow him through the shouji and sat in front of him.

"Good evening! What can I get you two?" a waitress kindly asked them. She then immediately added a suggestion as a knee-jerk response. "If you don't mind, I recommend the special lovers' palette. It's a big hit amongst the young couples!"

Shikamaru gulped and paled a bit as Ino glared daggers in her direction. Her eyebrow dangerously ticked, and he scrambled to save face by waving his hand. "We aren't a couple, miss. We're just friends..." he clarified and watched typhoon Yamanaka ebb somewhat, though the tension in her jaw and the gleam in her eyes kept him on edge.

"Really? I'm sorry, but you two just look so adorable!" she airily cooed. "So, what can I get you?"

Shikamaru let loose a long sigh and thought about how troublesome it was to go out of his way to help another couple, even if they were his friends. "I'll have the seafood combination, and she'll have the…?"

"I'll have the vegetation combination," Ino ordered in a nonchalant tone, slightly glowering at the waitress who seemed to marginally flinch. She bowed and vanished, leaving a moody Yamanaka at the lazy prodigy's table.

"So what'cha want, Shika?" Ino murmured to herself as she impatiently fiddled with her hands.

_'How troublesome. You owe me for this, you damn blonds!_' the Nara thought and folded his hands together. He shut his eyes for a moment, before he took the first step.

"Ino, you've been bottling up your problems for weeks now. You're moody, unfocused and jittery whenever Naruto is mentioned. This has got to stop."

"Not you, too…" Ino wearily groaned out and covered her face with her hands. "First, it was my dad. By the gods, that was awkward!" The mind-walker removed her delicate fingers from her face and plopped them—rather unceremoniously—onto the hardwood.

"Then, it was that cheeky bitch Hinata who had the gall to say I don't deserve Naruto." Her voice was low, but the undertone of fury was palpable behind her words as her cyan pupils burned with indignation. "And now, you…Why don't you guys let Naruto and I settle our troubles on our own? Or do you want to tell me I'm overreacting, too? That I'm being unreasonable and selfish?"

The shadow-user made a thoughtful sound and looked deeply into her eyes. "I think you're right, Ino." That shut her up and she looked at him with a hint of suspicion. "Naruto has been neglecting you, but I think you're wrong about the reason he's doing it."

She said nothing, but the way her slender brow rose beckoned him to elaborate. "Look," he spoke slowly, feeling a bit ashamed of his younger self as he explained, "you didn't know him as well as I did when he was growing up. You were always busy chasing Sasuke and playing with the other girls. I can't say I was much of a friend to him. I might've hung out with him and snuck him some food, but I also didn't give him the time of day…"

"I know about…!"

He made a silencing motion with his hand, making her protest peter out in the wind. "I'm not done! Your expectations of him are a bit unrealistic, Ino. Naruto never had any parents to teach him about these things. He just learned about friendships and bonds when we graduated the Academy."

Ino frowned. "I know all about that!" she rebutted in a drained, exasperated manner.

Shikamaru realized the roundabout subtle approach wasn't working and asked her bluntly. "Look, do you enjoy being with Naruto…or not?"

The blonde defensively bombarded him with a reply. "Of course I do! He's great. He cares a lot, he's thoughtful, funny, free going and… when we kiss, it's like my body is…"

Shikamaru waved his hands, mortified and attempting to stem the rush of heat to his cheeks. "All right! I get the picture. So, if everything's so great, and you two get along so well…what's the problem?"

Ino bit her lower lip. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm an afterthought to him, and I don't like feeling like that. I know he cares, but I don't know if I can take being his last priority. Hell, he spends more time with those stuffy Hyuuga and you chuunin than he does with me!"

Shikamaru's brows furrowed in unity. "Ino, Naruto's a chuunin now. Hell, I don't have time to stare at clouds, anymore. Our mission load is packed tight, and, considering they're training him to be one of Konoha's trump cards in the next war, you can't really blame him for being busy…"

"But that's just it!" she roared in defense. "I miss him, and even when we're together, he's usually tired, or distracted or…" In the middle of her fiery sermon, she failed to notice that she almost knocked their food right off the waitress' tray when she approached them.

Shikamaru smiled apologetically at the young woman, and she returned the smile and quietly shuffled away as Ino continued her tirade at full throttle, her skin flushed and hushed tone growing a bit louder. Much to the Shikamaru's discomfort, everyone in the room shot them curious looks.

"Cut it out! You're making a scene!" he whispered urgently and felt a sliver of satisfaction fill him as her lips clamped tightly and she blushed deeply. Her body seemed to fold in on itself before she occupied her mouth by nibbling on a sushi roll.

"The way I see it, you've got two choices," he plainly put, not sugarcoating in the least. "One, since you're obviously head over heels for him, and I know he's smitten with you, you try and understand Naruto. He's led a very sheltered life in comparison to us. So, be patient with him. Try to appreciate how hard he's working to make time for you and adjust to the strains on your relationship together, just like Hinata advised you, despite how much you hate to admit it."

Ino shot him a withering glare and he gulped. _'Note to self, don't mention anything positive about Hinata near Ino_.' He sighed and closed his eyes, before he continued his direct and candid approach. "Or, you dump him and go look for a more conventional boyfriend."

Ino gaped at him, choking on her food. She coughed hard and hit her chest. "Wh-what?"

"Naruto's life has always been different than ours, and he'll never be normal. He's a Jinchuuriki and the son of a kage. He'll always be pushed hard; always trying to prove himself more than anyone else, and, worst of all, he'll always have the largest target on his back."

Ino seemed to visibly shrink like a balloon, her shoulders sagging as she bowed her head. She inhaled a shaky breath, and Shikamaru cursed under his. _'And now, she turns from a temperamental woman into an emotionally deflated girl…How troublesome…_'

"You have to decide, Ino. Personally, I think you two are good for each other. You're both loud, troublesome and you're always running your mouth without thinking when you aren't tongue-wrestling in front of everyone. But, you're my friend, Ino. We go way back, and I'll support you, no matter what you do."

Her head jerked up and she looked at him with a watery smile, her eyes moist as she suddenly leaned forward and latched onto him like a drowning girl in the ocean with a flotsam. He blushed and tried in vain to push her away as she mumbled her gratitude into his shoulder.

He smiled, despite himself, and casually patted her back, though he couldn't help feel just a bit afraid. _'If she does break up with Naruto, and it's because I pushed her to it, then I might need to look into writing a will…_'

* * *

(**Two days Later, Komatsu Family Mansion, Capital of the Fire Country**)

Naruto currently flattened himself against a harsh wooden surface, dangling upside down from the ceiling of the living room of the Komatsu family. He was clad entirely in black, the only visible part of his body being a slit of skin and his bright blue eyes.

Capitalizing on the fact that the dining room was several rooms away, he slipped in while the family ate their dinner. The hired help was easy enough to sneak by; the maids and cooks preoccupied about their job and unable to detect him as he snaked through the upper floor's window and carefully crawled atop the ceilings to his current position.

His heartbeat started racing when he heard a tinkling female laughter. In his mind's eye, he associated it to Ino and he bit hard on his lip to quell the mounting nausea. He watched the young woman chase after the toddler, and it took a great deal of restraint to hold down the bile. _'Keep your head in the game, Naruto!_'

He had to force himself to remain silent; to keep his breathing even, lest he give away his position. The hired help should retire soon, if his surveillance and the dossier Tsunade gave him was any indication. "Mommy! Mommy! I don't wanna go to bed, yet!"

_'Focus…Focus, damn it!_' he furiously thought, trying to block away the phantom images his guilty conscience conjured as he watched the woman scoop up her child and hold her closely, muttering nonsense in her ear. _'Damn it…I don't want to do this…_'

He shut his eyes and channeled a fraction of the Kyuubi's youki through his body, letting the monstrous entity's power augment his senses. He sharply breathed in through his nostrils and listened with great intent.

"Now, now, Kairi-chan, it's late, and you have to go to sleep," a firm, male voice interrupted the touching moment, the man of the house joining his wife and ruffling the child's head affectionately. _'Do it…_'

He tried to will himself to move, but his body felt bolted in place, his heartbeat pounding in his ribcage as he heard the malevolent laughter of his tenant echoing in his skull. The deep rumbling sound sent chills through his spine; it had lurked silently at the edge of his consciousness for quite a while now, laughing, taunting and whispering dark promises whenever he was weak.

Naruto took a deep breath, satisfied that they were alone. He quickly channeled some wind chakra through his middle and index finger while stopping the channeling of energy through his hands and feet.

He soundlessly dropped to the ground behind the couple. He moved silently, drawing his wind blade across the husband's neck with a quick motion. The woman tried to shout, but it was stopped when his other hand shot forth and smashed into her wind pipe with crushing force.

The child looked at him with wide, fearful eyes and inhaled. He quickly moved and put a hand over her mouth, cutting off her scream. He saw a reflection of twin glacier eyes reflecting into wide blue looking up at him and exhaled through his nostrils. The blond bit his lip, and, in one quick motion, he snapped the child's neck.

He let her sink to the floor, lifelessly lying on her parents' broken and bleeding corpses. He looked down at his handiwork in a silent daze. He expected to feel a great deal of difficulty; to cry, to scream, but all he felt was a tantalizing emptiness. It was too easy that it hurt.

_'Keep it together, Naruto. You can't screw this now. It won't be in vain…_' he reminded himself as he made a hand motion and summoned two shadow clones. Then, he made a different set of hand seals and created another single clone.

He failed miserably in screening out the great delight he felt from his tenant whom stressed its satisfaction with a blend of amusement and sarcasm. _**"****Ah, now what's this? Has the little boy finally grown up? Just a slight twitch is what it took to extinguish the gift of life. Such power, ****such effectiveness****…Ahh, and what's this I feel? What's this I see? Satisfaction? Vindication? How very...expected...****"**_

Naruto gnashed together his teeth, trying to ignore the words which mirrored his innermost fears. He rushed up the stairs, leaving the three clones downstairs.

_'I'm not like you. I am not you!_' Naruto exclaimed in his mind, in a cool, clipped manner.

_**"No lies are stronger than those we tell ourselves****,**** little boy. ****Do you deny me, or do you deny yourself? Is it ignorance or pride, I wonder? I can never decide…"** _the demonic entity taunted gleefully and resumed laughing in his mind.

He could see the dark, burning crimson eyes glaring at him icily. For a moment, they turned blue and he saw himself, with the visage of a monster and he felt a chill run down his spine. 'Not likely, fox. I am a proud shinobi of the Leaf, doing his mission for the sake of my village and precious people.'

_"**Justification, juxtaposition, virtue, malice, right and wrong, good and evil…So many things we tell ourselves, no? So many little lies with which to cover up the horrid void that is truth…Murder is murder, no matter how you spin it. "**_

He stealthily climbed out of the window he snuck in through earlier, and, once he reached the roof, he jumped to an adjacent building. He turned around, making a single hand seal and the mansion from which he just escaped erupted into a massive scarlet inferno, his two Kaze Kage Bunshin increasing the force of his single exploding clone.

Naruto had no witty retort. The fox had a point, but now was not the time to mull over his sins and their consequences. He quickly breezed through some hand seals and vanished in a swirl of leaves via the Shunshin no Jutsu.

* * *

(**Meanwhile, Across the continent, Tsuchikage's private compound, Iwagakure no Sato**)

Sumiko inhaled deeply through her nostrils, mentally weighing the wisdom of her next actions. She fiddled with the sleeves of her black kimono. Her tanned skinned glistened slightly in the moonlight, and she took some time to adjust her garb as to not expose too much of herself.

Then, her other hand rose to push some hair behind her ear. The proud princess of Iwa idly noted it was odd how her auburn hair had become sun-bleached from the extended exposure to sunlight for dozens of hours in the last two months, its color now closer to dark red.

She folded her hands together and slowly walked down the corridor she situated, her forehead creased with lines due to a resolute scowl. She was visiting her father in his private mansion. He had invited her to come for dinner and update him on her progress, personally. _'I won't back down this time, I will learn the truth!' _

A pair of jounin that guarded the door bowed to her in a humble manner and pushed open the door for her. She returned the gesture by tilting her head roughly ten degrees as she crossed the threshold. She was immediately assaulted by the aroma of spiced meat, fried sea food and more.

She hid the frown threatening to cross her features and curtsied before her father, who sat on a chair on one end of a small rectangular table. 'Our budget is strained as it is, and Father lavishes with food like this…'

"Chichiue," she murmured inaudibly as she unhurriedly sat in front of him. His sharp, angular features contorted into a bored expression, and one hand moved to stroke his long, black beard as he acknowledged her with a low grunt.

"You're late, Sumiko," he calmly commented and didn't wait for her to explain herself before he rudely proceeded to grasp his chopsticks and grasp at some of the rice.

Her eyebrows creased and her lips twisted into a small scowl. She collected herself and sat up in her chair, jade eyes looking dead ahead at a set of dark brown. "We need to talk."

The Tsuchikage's left eyebrow rose slightly as he slowly chewed on the pure grain, his other hand motioning her to proceed.

She nodded once and spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, "I want to know who my mother was." Her tone came out far stronger and firmer than she felt when his eyes darkened as soon as the words slipped out of her lips.

Her father swallowed just as serenely. "It's none of your business, Sumiko," he replied with a hint of finality. "She's dead, and there's nothing more to it."

"How can you say that?" she inquired heatedly, forgetting decorum once the force of his blunt dismissal hit her like a slap to the face. She clenched the hem of her formal wear, trying, with all her might, to save face and not slam her fist into the table. "She was my mother! I have the right to know!"

Ishimaru's chakra threateningly spiked, and he had no such restraint, for his fist struck the wood and rattled the silverware and food. "Don't talk back at me, child! Know you place before I decide to educate you like I did back then!"

She weathered his fury with quiet determination, her eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed and body stiff but held up proudly. "I want to know why you've classified everything about her! It's obvious she's a foreigner, since there are no records of her…anywhere."

"This is your last warning, Sumiko."

"I want to why you had me train with that crazy old bastard, Roushi! He tried to kill me, but you obviously know that by now, and yet, you don't seem to care. Hell, I can't remember a time you've ever truly given a damn about me! Did you only keep me because my mother could suppress bijuu youki with her chakra like I do?"

"Enough! The information is none of your business, and that's final. Now, you're dismissed," the bearded man simply commanded his infuriated expression melting away to a very smug and pleased one. Obviously, her blurted confession regarding her new ability had pleased him greatly, her suspicions regarding the bastard she happened to share genes with was accurate, it would seem.

She had always tried to make him proud, to make him love her, but he always disregarded her, and now…After nearly dying for his ambition in Konohagakure, she was close to losing all shreds of respect for the zealous madman before her. She stiffly bowed before him, her body trembling beneath the cover of her thick formal garment.

She briskly left the room and nearly ran until she reached her private quarters. She leapt onto her bed and buried her face into her pillow, muffling her scream of fury mingled with utter helplessness and felt the fabric begin to tear beneath her fingers. _'Damn you! Damn you for this…_'

Her eyes stung as her chest heaved out trembling, choked sobs. It hurt; the rejection, the utter dismissal of her importance. Why did everyone but him seem to care and respect her when all she wanted was for him to smile at her?

She sat up after a while, and looked out the single window in her room. She wiped the tears from her eyes and settled her breath, oddly entranced by the moon accompanied by the sound of a toad or frog croaking in the distance. The amphibians were very rare in Tsuchi no Kuni, considering the arid weather, but, when they were seen, they were considered a good omen. Well…except when attached to Densetsu no Jiraiya of Konoha.

She softly sighed and started the meticulous routine of removing her kimono. "Who were you, Kagami? Mom…?" she wondered out loud, even though her spirits fell as she doubted anyone in Iwagakure would ever tell her the truth.

* * *

(**The Following Evening, Palace of the Fire Daimyo, Capital of Hi no Kuni)**

Naruto looked at himself; the yukata Kakashi brought him and forced him to wear was stifling and hot even in the mid-afternoon breeze. The rich garment was suggested to him by Hinata and Neji but was purchased during a torturous affair in which Ino dragged him to every fancy clothing shop in Konoha.

It was deep blue, with white and aqua wave motifs decorating its edges and sleeves. On the back of it, embroidered in red, was the red Whirlpool symbol which also, coincidently, was his family symbol. He silently walked beside Kakashi, who was clad in a dark gray yukata with birds decorating the material, along with his mask.

The only identification of their shinobi status was their headbands, which they wore as per their duty and with pride.

Naruto's eyes pointedly looked forward as they went. They had not shared much in terms of conversation since they rendezvoused only an hour earlier. His sensei seemed as morose and preoccupied as he was, both shinobi having demons they were tangling with alone.

He was glad his sensei was better; it had scared him to think his sensei's life could be snuffed out so very easily, in the blink of an eye. The Uzumaki's fists clenched in his pockets, a very thin line of pressure visible on his forehead and in his jaw as the flashing image of his emotionless face reflecting in that child's blue eyes haunted him.

There were large bags under his eyes, and sleep continued to elude him, just beyond his reach. His rest was not easy; the bijuu sealed within him quite happily exploited his weakness of spirit and heart. With how hard he was stamping out his emotions and pushing down the despair and remorse, it was increasingly hard to block out its voice.

It made it its business to constantly laugh, ridicule and project images into his mind. It was wearing on his sanity and peace of mind.

The blond chuunin ignored the voice of the monster in his mind and flicked his eyes over his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei," he whispered softly. The Copy ninja's shoulders tensed momentarily before he shifted his gaze to meet Naruto questioningly, a small cursory sound escaping the older man's throat.

"I'm happy you're well," he revealed the thought which haunted him until he saw him in front of him, well if somewhat quieter than usual. His voice was hushed and somewhat choked with emotion and the subdued and stormy countenance he wore melted away to reveal a wide smile.

The Copy ninja's tension seemed to abate as his eye crinkled happily. "Thank you, Naruto," he replied thoughtfully before his single visible eye quirked. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed gently, his voice softening some. "Are you all right, with the mission and what you had to do?"

Naruto didn't reply immediately, mulling over the words while chewing on the inner side of his cheek. His eyes clouded over for a scant second, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, Kaka-sensei, but I'm getting there..."

"Good." His sensei surprised him and his eyebrows flew upward as he gawked slightly. "If you were depressed, I'd be concerned, but if you were fine with it, I'd be disappointed," Kakashi cryptically commented and led him slightly onward.

The younger shinobi slowly blinked. "I don't understand."

Kakashi's smile was obvious through his tone, even concealed as it was behind his mask. "Every ninja gripes with the burdens we carry for our country. You're strong enough that you haven't broken, but also human enough to feel the pain and remorse, which is fitting in the situation."

Naruto didn't feel strong; if anything, he felt weak. The horrible memories of his actions were burned into his mind and the barbed words of the conniving monster within him kept whispering at the corner of his consciousness, like a predator prowling in wait.

"We are shinobi, Naruto. We love, we hurt, we bleed like humans and yet, unlike normal people, we kill upon order. It's true that, many times, our actions are justified, and often, they are not. It is the crux and cost of our profession."

_**"Cost…Yes, cost. Flee from what you owe them, boy. Flee from the weight of the burden you now rightfully bear in the arms of warm, comforting, little deceits. Form your foundation strong enough, and the pillar of delusions shall hold forever, I'm sure, for your sake, at the very least."**_

Kakashi's words confused him; they seemed to contradict with so many other things he had been taught. The fox's words stung and it vexed him. That couldn't be right. They were human and a family of ninja, as Kakashi told him his father used to say. He felt a bitter fury begin to pound through his veins as his hands tightened into fists. "But we aren't tools. That's what you said back in Nami no Kuni. We're more than sacrifices for the Daimyo and Hokage, right?"

"Yes, we are," Kakashi's voice was firmer now, his eye locking with Naruto's slightly wide blue as he restrained his hand from flailing about in his excited, and passionate, rant. "We are tools, but we are not mindless. We consciously put trust in our leader to make the right decisions and give us direction in which we can only exercise some leeway and flexibility. And yes, we do sacrifice a lot, and every day, in our lives, we place our sanity, lives and future on the line."

Naruto's eyes briefly grew to mere slits, questioning the sense made of what his mentor just relayed to him, including Tsunade's whole withdrawn and pained disposition when they last talked. The way she tried to console him while pained with guilt and sadness; she really did care about him and hated the mission she was forced to place on his shoulders.

"That is the true burden of the kage seat Naruto: the weight of knowing every decision will damn or save your subordinates and carrying the horrible knowledge all alone," Kakashi affirmed and articulated what Naruto had already started realizing on his own.

Naruto nodded and things started coming into perspective. It hurt, and the scars would remain for a long time, but it was a small cost to carry and he would take it with honor and understanding. _'I'm sorry, Baa-chan. I've taken you for granted for so long. Made your job a lot more difficult than I should have, but not anymore. I trust you, and I love Konoha…I'll protect you and everyone with everything I can…no matter the cost.'_

"These scars shape who we are, Naruto. Every sin we bear compounds upon us, but never forget that every death on our conscience is one less on one of our comrades. It means more prosperity and security for our loved ones. Keep your fire burning bright, Naruto. I'm proud of you, and so is everyone else. While we may not be able to take away your pain, we're here to help ease the weight and make it become just bearable enough for us to keep on living, and maybe, even be happy."

He got somewhat startled when Kakashi led him through massive steel double-doors. He hadn't even noticed they had crossed through the courtyard and passed by various Samurai guards in his deep deliberation.

A man was standing beside a large, lavish throne, holding a large scroll. On that chair sat a gaunt, middle-aged man who concealed his face with a fan. "Now approaching the throne: Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan and Uzumaki Naruto," the man spoke audibly, announcing their presence.

Naruto walked at a slug's pace, matching his sensei's relaxed gait, and they both knelt to their knees in unison before they bowed before the leader of Hi no Kuni. They sat up but remained kneeled where they were, as a sign of fealty in his court. _'Thank the gods for Iruka-sensei and Hina-chan preparing me for this stuff. I don't even want to think about the damage I would've done if I came in here in my orange jumpsuit and spoke obnoxiously…'_

"Leave us." The Daimyo coolly remarked and made a dismissive gesture with his hand in an authoritative manner. Obediently, everyone in the room—advisor, servant and guard—shuffled out around and behind the two shinobi.

Naruto discreetly analyzed the most powerful civilian in the Fire Country. His eyes were half-lidded and somewhat cold upon first glance, though he kept his face calm. The blond simmered from within, though; feeling unable to shake off a touch of resentment at what the man had forced him to do. The slightly smug and pleased way his eyes crinkled sent jolts of ire coursing through his veins.

He shut his eyes as he felt the demon within him shift behind the edges of his consciousness, its noxious presence and rumbling voice unnerving him, no matter how many times he dealt with them.

_**"Servitude, and then, searching for stability, simplicity, and complacency. What wretched little things they all are. And so, you shall be merely another pawn; merely another little tool to be used. I suppose it was always too much to hope that you would be of the few to stand; to rise above the station deemed unto you by the Mandate of Heaven. No, no you would never do so, would you not? So satisfied, you are. Never to hurdle the world into the chaos which it so fears. Never one to make it tremble in the wake of your leave, then." **_

_'Sometimes, there is strength in restraint,' _Naruto bitterly retorted, repeating one of the adages and key phrases Jiraiya and Kakashi kept on drilling into his brain, _'or else, we wouldn't be stuck here together if you hadn't rushed my father and got yourself defeated…'_

The fox's presence violently throbbed, and it took a great deal of concentration to remain still and push down the waves of youki gushing through his tenketsu. _**"So certain, are we? So sure of his might, so certain, and strong in conviction, then? Ahh, but it is an old, old story, at least to the infantile ears of the young and naïve. So full of embellishments and additions over the years. I hear mention of him alone, but where is the other, I wonder?"**_ the beast of burden chided the boy like it talked down and belittled an infant._** "Where is word of the only chain that could ever bind me? Where is word of her, then? That Kushina woman who gave her life to hold me still as your Yondaime sealed me, hmm? Ah, but no, glory and immortality to the heroes; unmarked graves for the dead. Such short memories, the withered bloods have. Such short memories, indeed."**_

_'So both of my parents beat you, then! Hah! I guess we humans aren't so weak and pathetic after all, then, are we?' _Naruto mentally reproached, his lips twitching, despite his better efforts, as he felt the Kyuubi claw and rage to no effect in its cage._ 'Now, shut up, and let me concentrate!'_

**_"Ahh, is this barbed tongue another token, apart from restless nights and nightmares of children?"_** It then began to chuckle in wondrous delight.**_ "It seems I will have to watch myself from now on, then, won't I?"_ **the Kyuubi dryly commented, but receded for now. Naruto knew this wasn't nearly over; the fox would punish him later, and that was certain. The only questions were when and how.

His musings became disjointed by the more prominent presence in the room.

"Naruto-kun," the daimyo greeted once the hall was empty, sans the shinobi and him, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you. You may call me by my surname, Shijimi, if you feel more comfortable." The man's jovial, slightly high-pitched voice apparently clashed with his shrewd and calculating eyes. One did not rule Hi no Kuni and maneuver with various kage for two decades by being stupid.

"Daimyo-sama, I'm honored to make your acquaintance, " Naruto quietly replied, bowing his head once more. He dared not act casually with the man—at least, not yet. Hinata and Iruka had been insistent that nobility, even if they acquiesced to familiar language and honorifics, didn't really mean it. It was safest to be humble and kind to prevent disaster.

"Ho, ho, ho…So polite…just like your father…" the man wistfully intoned and removed his fan, folding it quickly and pushing it into his sleeve. Then, the feudal lord sat more comfortably. "Tell me, Naruto-kun, how do you feel about what I asked you to do?"

Naruto wondered why the Fire Country's lord was ignoring Kakashi, but he noted it didn't bother the Copy Ninja one bit. The man's critical gaze was measured, though; obviously tense as he awaited Naruto's answer._ 'Oh boy, choose your words carefully, since insulting him would be bad…baa-chan'll kill me if I lose her funding…'_

"Personally, I would've preferred to avoid shedding innocent blood, but I understand that we can't always get what we want in life," he sullenly answered, ignoring the fox's snort and rumbling chuckle.

His hands tensed at his sides and he shut his eyes as he bowed his head. "I…understand necessity and burdens of power and accept my duty and your decision, Daimyo-sama. It'd be far worse to lose you and your support and send Hi no Kuni into a power struggle. You have my condolences for the loss of your close friend."

He felt the weight of the noble's cunning look and then a soft laughter banished all his anxiety and nervousness. "I'm glad I have your support, then!" the older man chirped. "You're ready to do what needs to be done when the going gets tough. That, my boy, is a good thing. You're very much like your father in that manner…more so than Hiruzen in his later years."

Naruto felt a pang of hurt at the words, and while he idolized his father, he cared deeply for the Sandaime as well. "Sandaime-sama was a wise man, Daimyo-sama. I think any mistakes he may have made were due to him being forced into an impossible situation at the worst possible timing for him, and it is unfair to harshly judge him in hindsight."

The Daimyo kept silent, his eyes smoldering with icy fire for a moment before his mask broke and he covered his face with his hand and jovially laughed once more. "You're gutsy, young man! Not many men would disagree with me…even so diplomatically. I like that! Though, don't make a habit out of it, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto laughed a bit nervously, nodding and physically straining to keep from rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. _'That last bit wasn't a joke. Even I can tell that!'_

Kakashi's hand discreetly brushed his and he cautiously glanced at his sensei. He faintly grinned when he saw the jounin's eye crinkle happily which meant: 'good save!' He licked his teeth behind pursed lips and braced himself; this was going to be a long, nerve-racking, and overbearingly formal night.

* * *

(**Several Days Later, Kirigakure**)

Haruno Sakura happily hummed to herself as she traversed the busy street. She was wearing her new training attire. Her lower body was covered by a pair of blue pants and black metallic shin guards, and a loose, black, long-sleeved shirt covered her upper body, concealing the mesh armor covering her lithe frame and the arm guards.

She had decided to change to her entire look for safety purposes; at least, temporarily. Thus, after some prodding and convincing, she acquired a similar hair dye to the one Danzou had applied on her; only this time, it was black. It would be foolish to be identified by Ne's agents if she were spotted by chance, and hence, she moved to mitigate that chance. Once the danger abated, she would remove all dyes and return to her natural hair color.

_'You've been awfully chipper as of late, Sakura-chan. We mustn't be complacent, dearest; you can't trust any Kiri-nin. You know they're only helping because we're useful. You know what they do to kunoichi in particular once they become expendable…'_ the voice of her ever-cynical and paranoid inner self cautioned in a hasty manner.

Sakura frowned to herself as she vaguely skipped, rolling her eyes. _'Knock it off. We're finally getting along with people. We aren't a pariah that nobody would touch with a three-meter pole. I really think we can find a home here. The people aren't as hypocritical as they were back in Konohagakure; they look life in the eye and don't flinch and make pretty excuses like the 'Will of Fire' bullshit.'_

She caught a flash of her mirror image in her mind, the solemn and cold-looking version of her glaring at her icily. _'Has our life up to now not proven to you to keep your guard around everyone? We are deserters; we couldn't hold allegiance to our own home, so what makes you think they'll trust us to keep it to their home?_'

_'This is **my** chance to finally find **my** place; I won't ruin it with petty manipulations and mind games I can't possibly win. Every time **you** try to convince me to use and twist my relationships with people…I've gotten fucked over. First, it was Ino, and then, it was Tenten and Lee. I won't…_' Sakura mentally jeered, the recent epiphany she had undergone revealed to her shocked alter ego.

_'I saved us on more than one occasion, and now that you feel somewhat safe, you turn your back on me?' _the dark side of her persona questioned incredulously before a cruel, harsh laughter rolled in her mind. _'I'm so proud; you're turning into me all on your own. Selfish, treacherous and ungrateful…hahaha! I'm loving this! Go ahead and play house with your little friends, while I'll keep an eye out for us, regardless of your little delusions._

Sakura snorted, smirking widely to herself. A rush of glee and satisfaction filled her, in spite of her inner side's supposed amusement. She had won this argument! She was excited for more than her little personal milestone; living in Kirigakure had done nothing but benefit her so far. It truly felt good to be alive!

She and Suigetsu had started training several days ago, and she was enjoying every moment of it. The sharp-toothed Kiri-nin's growth was pretty impressive; the tutelage of the legendary swordsman Mashashi truly honing him his kenjutsu abilities, and his Suiton ninjutsu were nothing to sneeze at.

She found she liked spending time with him; more so than anyone of her age group back home, even before her disastrous spiral following the debacle in Nami no Kuni. He was real, gritty, raw and honest like life. He didn't mince words, or hand out platitudes for the sake of it. They bickered and joked around and hung out nearly daily, considering they were neighbors.

She softly whistled to herself, her hips jiggling a bit as she thought about her own growth. Several weeks of intense physical training and a carefully monitored diet, she was back to her healthy weight and recovered most of her speed and strength.

Her sensei was surprisingly patient, despite her harsh and sarcastic behavior. She was learning a lot regarding lightning manipulation and genjutsu. The woman was a true mistress of silent killing and assassination techniques, and it reflected in the jutsu, anatomy lessons and illusory techniques she taught her.

However, the most satisfying portion of her training was the art of kenjutsu; her coordination, speed and flexibility had grown by leaps and bounds as she grew more proficient in using her double kodachi.

Also, she had found herself bastardizing the Serpent-style Anko taught her with her sensei's lightning-fast taijutsu style, the Praying Mantis-style. Her new technique was augmented further by using wrist blades she had specifically ordered and paid to be integrated into her arm guards to strike lethal blows to any foe; oftentimes, while charging the blade with lightning.

The most fundamental change, however, was that she had found it more comfortable to use only one chain around her left arm to supplement her kenjutsu and taijutsu, using it to pull, bind and electrocute an opponent or, in extreme situations, protect her nimble frame from bodily harm.

She simply loved being taught by someone who actually gave a damn if she improved or not! Plus, she had things patiently explained to her, and when she made mistakes, no violence or profanity followed…just astute criticism. She felt herself truly flourishing for the first time in her ninja career.

_'Now, I just have to prove myself to the Mizukage,_' Sakura cogitated and shuddered. Her sunny smile melted into a cringe as she remembered the last time that woman had summoned her. No matter how she spun it, that woman scared her. She had the creepiest smile, and she bet Mei could seem like the loveliest woman on earth as she kindly told someone she was going to fillet him on a katana.

**_'_**_Good luck with that! Terumi Mei is more dangerous than even Danzou to our health. She's a lot quicker to lose her temper and far more likely to show her displeasure in the form of physical violence than that old son of a bitch…' _her inner voice piped in a sing-song, bemused intonation.

Sakura screened out the annoying voice in her head. She was going to stand on her own two feet and grow strong, and, for the first time since Sasuke's death, she felt a bit less obsessive and impatient about the need to avenge him. It was unlikely Naruto would die any time soon, and she was enjoying the moment!

As she approached her apartment complex, she slowed down a bit. Her eyes suspiciously narrowed, and she bit her lower lip. A young man, clad in ripped and filthy clothes was rummaging through the dumpster outside a nearby building.

She had lived in the area for almost two months, and she had taken note, thanks to her paranoid and overly cautious alter ego, to all the possible security risks in her living vicinity, including homeless people, pickpockets and any foreigners who seemed mistrustful. _'Hmmm…why isn't he looking through the dumpster near the restaurant district? That building houses the blacksmith and craftsman guild…_'

The green-eyed nuke-nin shrugged her shoulders.

_'I'll keep my eye on him if he keeps on skulking around by later tonight or tomorrow. Right now, I'm late for lunch with Suigetsu and that means he'll eat all my eel sushi again!'_


	7. 6: Things Fall Apart

**Disclaimer: I don't own or have any rights in the Naruto Franchise, it all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, Shounen Jump and other affiliated companies.**

* * *

**A/N**

1) I'm back, I will try to update more regularly but I have no promises, it all depends on my job load and social life, e.t.c.

2) Special thanks to **DarkHeroOrion (You should read his new stories, they rock!)**, **LD1449 (Can't believe his legendary Lost Soul fanfic is almost over...)**, **Grumpywinter** and **rasengan86** for their help and advice and help which help me write the chapter and motivate me enough to give my muse CPR and get my ass in gear and produce what I believe is a good chapter worth your wait (Even if it is a bit shorter than I'm used to)!

3) I sincerely hope my attempts at diversifying and going more in depth in the 1st person PoV are to your liking. On a side note, chapters are going to be most likely shorter than before (less than 10k but more than 5k).

4) I hope this chapter will give you readers a glimpse into the future of Naruto's development from the rock bottom he'd at now emotionally and morally to the future which is based on his determination and resolutions and his sense of responsibilities.

5) Some of you said in your reviews that a hero shouldn't compromise his morals and beliefs, I agree, but this isn't our world, in the chaotic universe of Naruto, it's much more violent, harsh and unforgiving and if you're going to change things you have to work from the bottom and move up. And Naruto is like those before him, and those after him, may rail at the system, but can't break it on the fly and can't afford to go rogue and endanger everyone he loves, so he has to choke on his sins until he has enough influence and power to rock the boat.

6) As for the Beta request,** DarkHeroOrion, **corrected me and said that at the moment he can still offer beta services. I've noted those who've volunteered and I appreciate it, when the need arises (And I imagine it will soon enough) I'll call upon one of you. Thank you all for your support!

7) I hope you enjoy, please read and review (I'd really like to know if my writing is still up to par after such a long hiatus) and bear with my plots and sometimes questionable decisions, at the end of the story some time obscure plot lines will converge and make sense and some plots I planted today will bear fruit in the last installment of the series.

* * *

**(The day following Naruto's meeting with the Daimyo, Wilderness, Somewhere in the Fire Country**)

Anko was not having a good day. Her body ached horribly, her joints and muscles protesting after weeks of atrophy and disuse. She was surprised with her body's resilience—that she could stand was impressive; that she could walk and run was nothing less than a miracle.

Her skin glistened with perspiration, clinging to the dark blue shirt she wore along with dark violet pants. Both articles were a size too small and considering her lack of support, her jiggling bust was another obstacle. Dark lips twisted into a frown. _'Fuck, I'm chaffing all over the place!'_ She scowled and for the umpteenth time stuck her hands in her pants to adjust them.

She felt the crisp air blow through the long strands of her hair. The once smooth strands were now a tangled mess which partially obscured her view. She wondered how many days had passed since her abduction. She wasn't sure entirely what happened to her, everything was fuzzy, just like that time all those years ago. Orochimaru must've messed around with her memories again.

_'I've got to get back home as soon as __possible. Kami only knows what he did to me. Besides, I'm sure Tsunade'll be pleased I trashed his lab and killed some of his scientists on my way out… '_

The serpentine woman suddenly collapsed. She hit the ground hard, hissed breaths escaping clenched teeth. Her eyelids shut and she brought her hands over her face, scrubbing her eyes quickly. The damnable itching just behind her eyelids was the worst of the ailments that plagued her ever since she woke up.

When she woke up in Orochimaru's lab while that pervert leered at her, her eyes were brown once more. However, in the last couple of days, it would seem the mutagens in the Venom Queen's venom and Orochimaru's own genes (if one believed his claims of him creating her) were overcoming her once more.

Her pupils had become slits once more, but instead of gold and violet, her eyes were taking on the unnatural yellow of her accursed tormentor's eyes. _'As if I won't have enough shit to deal with when I get back, debriefing is going to be a bitch!'_

The agonizing stabbing sensation subsided minutes later. Anko cursed under her breath as she wiped her eyes and cheeks with the back of her hand, grimacing at the smears of crimson staining her skin. Every time the paralyzing seizure struck her out of the blue, the same thing happened—tears of blood. It was so damn morbid and freaky; a fitting memento left behind by that crackpot, Orochimaru!

Her footing was wobbly as she climbed back to her feet and resumed her steady trek through the woods. She paused abruptly when a familiar scent filled her nostrils, a very slight mix of ash and nicotine. _'Either my senses are sharper than before or Asuma's gotten better at stealth than I remember. Fuck! What did you do to me? My balance, my senses, my chakra! Everything's different somehow…'_

Her glance wandered ahead of her, and then some dread filled her as she stumbled backward, falling on her derriere as two blurry shapes descended from the branches above her. She bit her lower lip, pushing against the agonizing sensation of snakes crawling beneath her skin.

_'NO! I am the one in control! I won't hurt them!'_ She felt nausea and vertigo envelop her as the angry hissing in her mind and beneath her skin became deafening. She murmured over and over beneath her breath how she would not hurt or kill a fellow Leaf ninja as she gasped. She thrashed on the ground, fighting the instinctual urges of fight or flight; suppressing the symbiotic serpents hiding within her. _'It hurts, damn it…it burns!'_

Her body convulsed as something slammed between her shoulder blades and foreign chakra invaded her body, shutting it down forcefully. She crashed to her side, harshly exhaling through gritted teeth as she felt two pairs of hands force her own behind her back, something cool and metallic locking around her wrists.

The snake jounin's eyes widened a fraction and a pit of dread settled in her stomach. Her eyes swam as she caught the blurry sight of her comrade smoking only several feet away, a dark gleam in his eyes as he flicked his cigarette away.

_'Why do I have the feeling this is one of those days I should not have woken up to…?'_

* * *

(**Four Days Later, Hidden Leaf**)

Naruto thoughtfully frowned as he looked up at the moon. He sat on the roof of his apartment, his eyes slightly glazed as he got lost in the silver luminescence. The furrow of his eyebrows deepened as he inhaled through his nostrils. Dark bags marred his handsome features and his face seemed paler and more gaunt than usual; the price of his guilt and insomnia quite apparent upon his body.

He shut his eyes and his chest heaved heavily, vapor escaping his nose and lips in the late night chill. _'I know Grannie didn't mean to send me on that mission. I know rationally she had little choice with how fucked up things are with how tense things are. But…but damn it! I don't know anymore!'_

He tried to accept the platitudes of Kakashi, about duty and sacrifice. He tried to cling to Tsunade's compassion and remorse, but deep inside, in that part of him which suffered so long, that was one of those innocents which the strong stomped on, all he felt was shame. _'It doesn't help that the Kyuubi just loves this opportunity to mess with my head.'_

His shoulders slumped and he covered his face with his hands, rubbing his palms against his skin until it felt raw, as if he could peel the scab off the festering wound that lay gaping in his soul. The Daimyo had compared him to his father, singing his praises over his loyalty and strength of spirit. What a load of shit!

He had time to mull over things in the last four days (ever since the day he set foot back in Konoha) and, the more he thought about it, the more he felt a primal, deep rage rumble deep within his chest, clawing and gnashing to get out. But, then, the weight of reality crashed upon his shoulders and dispersed his rebellious thoughts before it even began.

He thought of the sweet child, so innocent and happy just minutes before he snuffed her life like blowing on a candle. In a flick of his wrist, he stole her dreams and murdered her future. It wasn't too long ago when that could have been him, if the old man had been a bit less vigilant or the ninja in the village a bit less fearful.

He growled as he gnashed his teeth hard. He then channeled some wind chakra into the pointer fingertip of his left hand and slashed across his right palm. He ignored the flash of pain and gazed silently at the scarlet life essence rapidly oozing down his arm and dripping upon the tiles of the roof.

"You're going to be late," he heard his sensei's monotone voice behind him. His lips faintly twitched. He peered over his shoulder, noticing that even though the Copy Ninja's face was schooled into a stoic expression, his single visible eye gleamed with a flicker of emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I think Izumo will cut me slack. It's not like you've never been late for anything, Sensei," Naruto softly quipped and slowly stood up. He felt the weight of the jounin's eye on wound and blood.

"What's this? I didn't think you were the type to cut yourself, Naruto." Kakashi's voice was chiding, but they both knew it was but a jest, for they both shared the same mission, all those months ago, when Naruto made a similar gesture on the cusp of a great resolution.

"I'm going to become Hokage, Sensei," he murmured and didn't wait for the silver-haired ninja as he climbed back into his apartment from the veranda.

"I thought we established that on the roof of the Academy, many months ago, Naruto."

Naruto smile was brittle and his eyes stung as he weaved through the clutter and mess of his apartment. The state of urban disaster was worse than usual as he hadn't bothered cleaning…for obvious reasons. "I know I'm a kid and I'm still weak, but it won't stay that way for too long."

The noncommittal sound behind him prompted him to elaborate, and so, he did. "One day, no ninja of mine will have to murder for no other reason than the whims of one man, no matter how grand he should be or how much money he has."

"Naruto…" He heard the weariness and discomfort in Kakashi's tone, obviously his mentor believed him either idealistic or delusional. Maybe he was, but it didn't matter—not anymore.

He briskly threw on his attire as the silence stretched between them, suffocating and imposing. He tied his utility belt and tightly fastened the straps of his chuunin jacket. As he tied his forehead protector, he spoke in a calm, resolute manner, his face becoming determined and grim, "Save it, Kakashi-sensei! You and Grannie and everyone else have told me how impossible the situation is, how this is the way things are, and I have to suck it up and deal with it. Well, I think it's time things changed…and you know me. I'm Uzumaki Naruto; I don't go back on my word. I can't, because the way things are now…is just fucked up real bad."

"You're not the first one to have this goal in mind, Naruto. It's been tried before, and failed every time. The ninja world…most people will agree it will never change," Kakashi neutrally observed.

Naruto paused, his hand on the rail of his window as he prepared to leap outside. He briefly turned his head. "Nothing lasts forever. I will be the first to make things change. Believe it," the blond declared with finality and conviction.

* * *

(**The following day, ****Hokage Mountain, **Konohagakure)

Ino crossed her arms beneath her breasts, her fingers tapping over her forearms. Her cyan eyes narrowed as she glared at her boyfriend's back. She inhaled deeply through her nose and opened her mouth to speak but then tightly clamped her lips. She didn't like these feelings he was invoking in her – fear.

Naruto's body was so tense; a palpable feeling of compacted fury blending with a deep, soul-crushing depression. He was avoiding her, and from what she gathered, everyone else as well, ever since he got back from his mystery mission five days ago. _'Damn it, Naruto! You're not supposed to be bottling things up. We're a couple, and you're…you're supposed to share with me.'_

"Ino-chan, if you're going to ask something, just spit it out," Naruto's voice burst out rather harshly.

He didn't move from his spot, his brooding continuing despite her presence. A tight knot of tension that had been building for weeks abruptly exploded, a fiery, sweeping rage flushing through every fiber of her body._ 'Who the hell does he thinks he is? He can't talk to me like that!'_

"What the hell is wrong with you? You've ditched me three times today! I called your name and I know you heard me!" Every word she hissed was coated with venom as she stomped over to him, hanging around just an arm's breadth away from him.

"Leave it alone, Ino. I don't want to talk about it," Naruto cautioned in a quiet, controlled manner.

"No! I'm sick of this! You've been distant for weeks. We don't hang out, we barely kiss or touch and we definitely don't talk. We…" She accused explosively, her hands fisting into the fabric of his upper coat, preparing to turn him around.

"Shut up, Ino," Naruto's clipped tone cut off her tirade and she felt the iron grip of his fingers around her wrists.

She had always been enraptured by the emotional vivacity dancing in his irises. But now, there was no vibrancy, only a muted deadness which chilled her to the core. _'Wh-what happened to you, Naruto?'_

"Life…" His voice trailed off in a deadpan manner, almost as if he read her thoughts like an open manga. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he seemed to deflate. He bowed his head and gently rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

While the tenderness of the gesture was appreciated, it was not nearly enough to appease her curiosity and fear at his statement. "Naruto, stop it! You're scaring me…"

"Please, Ino, I can't do this now, and even if I could, you'd never understand…" His voice broke into a small whisper and she gasped heavily at the gleam in his eyes.

"Then make me understand! Stop keeping me out! How can I be here for you when you keep everything to yourself?" she choked out, his words deeply cutting into her.

Ino shrank back as the bitterness and anger ignited in her lover's eyes as he stood up to his full height. It was as if a dam had fallen down and weeks of emotion gushed out of his lips in a quick, furious rant. "No, Ino! What part of 'back off' don't you get?"

"Don't you take that tone with me, Uzumaki! I deserve better than this!" she shouted, aware that spittle sprayed all over his face as she got close and personal with him, her nose touching his own.

"Do you, Ino? How the hell can you ask me to share with you when you accuse me of not caring about you? You say I'm being distant and moody and not spending time with you like I'm doing it on purpose? You make me sound like I'm some jerk that's dicking you around! But you KNOW I care about you, and I've been working my ass off to earn free time to spend with you."

"You've got a funny way of showing it!" she scoffed and turned away from him, hugging her body tightly. She cursed herself as her eyes stung with tears, her shoulders shaking.

"Tell me what to do, Ino. Tell me what more I should be doing!" he demanded, grabbing her arm and spinning her around, his eyes wild. They seemed to glow with his emotions, pulsing brightly with an intensity that sent shivers crawling down her spine.

She choked, paralyzed like a doe in the face of a tiger. "You're hurting me…" she whimpered and watched him back away as if she burned him, his face twisting into a remorseful grimace.

She couldn't help it anymore; she started sobbing earnestly and covered her face with her eyes, falling to her knees. "I don't know! I don't know anymore, Naruto!"

Puffy, red eyes peeked at him, a part of her regretting the anguish and frustration she felt radiating off him. But another part of her, one that relished in his pain, selfishly clinging to her righteousness. "I can't do this anymore."

It was Naruto's turn to deeply inhale, a choked sound escaping him and she felt his arms wrap around her, a murmured 'no' repeated beneath his breath. "No, don't do this to me, Ino. Please, I'll try harder…I'll…Please don't do this!"

"No, you won't," she said, defeated. "Look, you mean the world to me, Naruto, but maybe…we should take a time out."

"Ino, don't do this to me, I lo…" he started before she interrupted him by pressing her lips against his in order to not condemn her with his confession. She held him, taking in his scent, the firmness of his muscular body pressed against her body.

She melted against him, her lips hurting with how hard she kissed him, engraving his scent and flavor into her memory, she would miss them deeply. _'I'm sorry, but I won't be second fiddle to your commitment, to your teachers, to your other friends…anymore.'_

"No, you don't, and that's okay," she shakily uttered and cupped his face with her hands. She cut him off before he could deny her statement; before he could vanquish her with sweet words and hollow platitudes and promises. _'Damn it, Naruto. I don't want to do this…I love you, too! Bu-but this is for the best. It hurts too much to deal with this…'_

"Ino…please…"

She broke away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's not you; it's me…I want to be with you, but we'll only end up hurting each other. I care about you too much to let that happen…maybe someday, but not now."

Naruto's eyes were moist and for once, he seemed speechless. She took advantage of the opportunity and ran away. She sobbed for the disappointments of reality, for being too selfish to share the man she loved with both the village and other people; she just wasn't strong enough—at least, not yet.

She left the tattered ruins of her heart back in the clearing, praying one day he'd be able to forgive her and maybe even give her another chance, though she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to exonerate herself.

* * *

(**Three Days Later, Yard within the boundaries of Hyuuga Estate, Konohagakure**)

Hinata frowned faintly over the rim of her tea cup. Her slender eyebrows were deeply furrowed as she watched Naruto practice with his mother's blade. The oolong tea was bitter against her tongue, sharpening her awareness. She licked the inner part of her cheek thoughtfully as she analyzed the Uzumaki's kata.

His motions were fluid, every step, pivot and shift of his body a calculated strand in the weaving dance of steel and muscle. But anyone who knew Naruto—the real Naruto—easily noticed he was off. There was no enthusiasm; no excitement in his training, his upbeat and die-hard disposition diminished.

"It's a sight, isn't it, Hinata-sama?" Neji's cool baritone disturbed her musings. Her gaze flicked over to her older cousin, one of her brows quirked high in an inquisitive manner. "I used to hate how perky and exuberant he acted, but now…" His voice trailed off as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Give it some time. It's still fresh in his mind." And heart, she quipped mentally and sighed against the hot liquid. "You know how he is, Neji-niisan. He has to process, mull over it internally and then…"

"And get over his funk and find something positive about everything," Neji breathed out his answer, shaking his head. Neji brought the cup to his lips and his next words mirrored her own secret, treacherous thoughts. "I'm not sure it's that simple this time, Hinata. Naruto seemed withdrawn and depressed even before Ino-san's…precarious decision."

She scoffed, the familiar stirring of disbelief mingled with fury settling deep within her stomach. It boggled the Hyuuga heiress' mind how childish and petty Ino was acting. If only it had been her…

Neji chuckled softly, obviously amused by her expression of disgust and distaste. "And here I thought you grew out of your crush on Naruto, Hinata. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous of how deeply he cares for Yamanaka."

Hinata felt heat rush to her cheeks, her eyes averting to the cup in her hands. "I am not and will not be pursuing Naruto, no matter how tempting the notion is. Naruto and I each have our own goals and ambitions to fulfill which take precedence to teenage romance." Besides, she wouldn't be a rebound girl; she could wait patiently for a better time in the future.

Though she couldn't see it, she felt the smugness oozing off her cousin. "So, if Naruto walked up to you tomorrow and planted a kiss on your lips and profess his undying love you'd say…no?"

Hinata gritted her teeth, the mental image eliciting a heavier blush and she shot her older cousin a dark glare. "Stop it, Neji! You know this is not the time to explore these things. Dark times are coming…"

Neji acquiesced and she brought up her hands to cover her face, just as a massive gust of wind blew across the entire area. "Should we warn him about the likelihood of him destroying Hiashi-sama's property again?"

Naruto's sword shone with blue light, the seals engraved over its surface angrily palpitated as he pushed more and more nature chakra through the conductive alloy. His motions were getting faster and faster, blurring slightly as gusts of air whipped around him.

"Hiashi-sama won't mind too much, since he's too busy trying to outwit the elders at every turn," Neji replied offhandedly and his eyes shifted to eerie silver, veins protruding around his eyes. "Naruto's other clones are acting similarly, too."

"It won't end well for him or for the Hyuuga clan in general if he keeps this up. That's why…" Hinata commented in a subdued manner, feeling a flush at guilt at her part in dealing with the same people whom looked down on Neji for all his life.

"I know what you've been doing, Hinata. It's okay," her cousin cut her off, smiling apologetically. "We of the Branch understand more than we're given credit for. We know you're trying to heal the clan by making bonds and approaching your fellow main branch members. We have nothing against the middle aged and younger members of the main family, as they do not perpetuate the cycle of servitude."

"Y-you don't?" she stuttered in shock, her breath held as she curiously peered at her formally bitter and hateful cousin.

"We're all family, one way or another. If you convince them and are the one leading when they are ready to reconcile and repent for their oppression, the branch will accept this and try to open a new page. But we accept you, not Hiashi, Hanabi or anyone else…"

Hinata pursed her lips and swallowed, shakily chuckling. _'No pressure then, right? And he asks why I don't pursue a romantic relationship with anyone, much less Naruto? He's got to be kidding me…'_

"Good." She managed to regain her wits a minute or so later. "I've put the plan into motion. The contract has been brokered with Jiraiya-sama, with Naru-kun's assistance. If anyone can devise an alternative to that…thing, it'll be him."

Neji willed a ghost of a smile to pass his lips. "I'm happy, Hinata. I'm happy you're not like them. You're not weak; on the contrary, you're just as strong as your crush and idol. You should be proud, as he is…as we are. You will be a great leader, and this, I know for certain."

Hinata blushed furiously and smiled a bit. She thanked Neji and resumed watching Naruto. _'If only I could make myself proud and help him…he's suffering so…'_

* * *

(**At the same time, Mizukage's abode, Kirigakure**)

Sakura gulped as she knelt low against the wooden floor. She pressed her forehead against the cool surface and dared not look up at the woman sitting on an elevated throne; she still remembered how quick Terumi Mei's temper flared.

"You asked for an audience with me, Haruno, so sit up and speak. I have little time for idle chatter, so get on with it," the red-haired beauty firmly snapped, tapping the handle of her throne with her manicured nails.

The former Konoha kunoichi licked her lips and exhaled through her nostrils. "A week ago, I was returning home from training with Suigetsu and I saw a suspicious figure rummaging through one of the dumpsters."

"So…you saw a homeless person looking for food and you thought it was prudent to update me on this…" The blandness in the Mizukage's tone sent shivers down her spine. The laughter of her alter ego grated on her nerves; even though she was slowly ignoring the voice in her head, it didn't make the advice, profanity or annoying observations stop.

"Mizukage-sama! I've been monitoring everyone who lives in the area and said homeless person doesn't live nearby or had ever been in that vicinity. Besides, our building is occupied by ninja, we rarely eat in, and it doesn't make sense for him to look for food or stuff there, when he could get better scores in the mercantile district."

She dared to steal a glimpse at the woman and noticed the thoughtful expression on the leader's face. _'She's thinking about it!'_ she thought excitedly.

The bloodline extraordinaire smiled and spoke in a softer manner, eliciting hope in the young woman's battered heart. "Very well, I'll readily admit that is suspicious. I'll send a sketch to interview you later tonight. You're dismissed."

The dual-personality kunoichi bowed once more, and as she turned, she grinned widely when a single sentence by her new Kage chased her on her way out. "Good work, Sakura."

She then proceeded to practically float and skip her way home. She hummed herself a tune as her cheeks hurt through her grin. _'YES! Haha! Take that! I can prove myself to her! I will find acceptance!'_

_'__One victory in battle is hardly winning the war, Sakura-chan. You should know by now to be cautious with our feelings. You'll only get disappointed when reality slaps us in the face once more!'_ her darker side chided her, mildly cackling in her head.

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was already used to the voice in her head that tried to keep her rooted—or rather, knock her off her high horse whenever she started feeling smug or happy. _'You'll see! I've got everything under control!'_

_'Is that so? Then why can't you sense the chakra signature that's been following us for the last three blocks?'_

Sakura's eyes narrowed and she slipped into a more secluded alley, her hands running through several hand seals just as she took a quick turn around a corner. She spread a small area-oriented illusion several feet in every direction, projecting the image of her body blending into the wall, the alley around her empty.

She waited with bated breath, her heart racing and throat dry. Her hands shook slightly and sweat drizzled down her forehead and cheek. _'He's not stupid enough to fall for something like that, Sakura-chan. If you must know, the stalker is waiting around the corner for you to continue. I suspect a sensor ninja.__' _

'_You don't have to be so smug and snarky about it! Damn it…!'_ Sakura grumbled mentally and pressed her back against the concrete of the building. She felt the cool surface soothe her nerves and made five hand seals. _'Raiton…'_

She spun around the corner, cupping her hands together as electricity flashed between her fingertips. The nature chakra angrily lit up at her command. However, before she could unleash her attack, a foot smashed into her cheek, slamming her back into the alley.

Her ears rang and she shook her head. 'Duck'. She obeyed her body's instinct, barely dodging the follow-up kick; however, the request for her to block was too little, too late. A hand smashed between her breasts, pushing her hard against the wall, and then a hand wrapped around her neck.

_'Are you still optimistic, Sakura-chan__?'_

"So sorry, Haruno. My reflexes got the better of me," a gravelly voice she recognized as one of the Mizukage's aides coolly spoke. He wasn't sorry at all, that son of a bitch.

He dropped her unceremoniously, his dark visible eye dancing with some mirth. She wondered what he hid behind the sealed eyepatch on his right eye. She didn't have much time to ponder the blue haired jounin's situation as he smirked at her.

"Do not think because Mizukage-sama gave you a place amongst us due to the kindness of her heart that you can take advantage of us. I and other jounin don't trust nuke-nin scum like you. Until you prove yourself trustworthy, we'll continue to keep an eye on you, understood?"

"Y-yes," she croaked, rubbing her throat, ignoring the tinkling laughter in her mind.

"Also, do not mention this to anyone, especially the Mizukage. You won't like the consequences if you do," he cautioned and bowed slightly, walking away without another word.

Sakura hit the back of her head lightly on the wall behind her, groaning miserably. _'I told you it wouldn't be easy…maybe next time you should listen to me.'_

_'You knew who it was and didn't tell me, didn't you?"_ Sakura darkly accused her other personality, covering her face with her hands.

_'I didn't know for sure…but I had my suspicions. This was just a lesson for you, my dear. Life is a series of respites between disappointments and harsh realities. Grow up and accept we're fucked over and adapt in turn.'_

_'NO! I will not give up! I will succeed and make you eat your words…!'_

_'By all means, Sakura-chan, prove me wrong. However, do note the following: a) you're living in a dream world conjured by misinformation and self-delusions; b) you're arguing with yourself over life philosophies…_

_'I hate you…'_

_'You mean you hate yourself? How pathetic can you get?'_

_She growled and hit her head in frustration._

_And now you're a masochist too!'_

Her growl reverberated throughout the desolate alley.

* * *

**(The following evening, on the bank of a pond, Near Training Field Six, Konohagakure)**

Naruto threw his mesh shirt off his body, the protective material joining his overcoat and chuunin jacket. He slapped his face with both hands and sat down in a lotus position, bringing his hands together.

He was undergoing intense emotional and mental turmoil. At first, the guilt over his sins was beginning to fade into a small part of his soul which he felt was forever tainted. He compartmentalized it, kept it in the back of his mind and finally found clarity and purpose in evolving his original goals in a more realistic manner.

And then, she, who remained nameless, struck like a hunter-nin's blade, silent, swift and with deadly force. He was still grappling with his emotions when she came to him, with her demands and would've showered him with more empty platitudes which unlike Kakashi and Tsunade had no experience to support them. It wasn't as if he could've shared his sordid affairs with her anyway; it was classified.

Why did she have to push him? If she had just given him some time like all his other friends, like his teachers and Tsunade, she wouldn't have…wouldn't have dumped him. He just needed time to digest and move on. Why didn't she understand?

He snarled and his eyes snapped open. He couldn't meditate when all he wanted was her. He had grown accustomed, felt deeply for her, and now she was gone. It **hurt**, and he didn't know how to deal with it. Were they friends? Was he supposed to forget her now? Did he want to move on?

He growled and leapt to his feet. He started pacing back and forth, his hands behind his back as he brooded. His friends were worried about him; he could smell it, see it and hear it in their tones and how they walked on eggshells around him. His sensei, however, was beginning to lose patience with him, and if he was honest, he, too, was tired and sick of himself and these feelings.

He wished Jiraiya was there. If he was, he would give him romantic advice, and while he was a pervert, one could not deny his expertise in romantic liaisons and in dealing with rejection, as Tsunade had been shooting him down for over forty years. Therefore, he had little alternative but deal with it on his own.

_'I might as well summon Fukusaku. I've been avoiding him for long enough. He won't be happy…'_ the Jinchuuriki miserably conceded, preparing himself mentally for pain, and lots of it.

He bit his thumb and made five quick hand seals, pressing his palm hard against the ground. He felt the chakra ooze out through his arm and compact upon the ground. He took several steps back as the white smoke clear, revealing a very irate looking bearded toad. "Naruto-chan…"

"Fukusaku-sama, I…" The excuse was on the edge of his tongue; however, it was not fated to be spoken as the small amphibian blurred forth and smashed into his abdomen, knocking him several feet away.

He grunted hard, adjusting his trajectory so he landed in a manner which didn't dislocate bones or chafe his skin. He climbed into a loose stance. He didn't wait for approval, or have time to talk; all he had time to do was dodge out of the way and pray for the best.

He weaved to the left, just barely avoiding an angry green projectile. "Who do you think you are, boy? You think the toad clan is some group of pets you can summon at your convenience?"

"No! I-I'm sorry…I just—!" Naruto stammered fearfully as he heard the tree the toad sage collided with explode into splinters, literally torn apart by the force of the blow. _'Geez…he isn't holding back, is he?'_

"Give me one good explanation for this insult, or I'll make you regret the day Kushina-chan pushed you out of her womb and into this world, you conceited little snot!" the miniature green disaster threatened, his yellow eyes seeming to glow with his fury.

Naruto shut his eyes and heavily exhaled. He decided to conceal his sinful endeavor for the Daimyo and went with the harsher, more painful of the two. "I-I got dumped by Ino."

The sounds of crickets filled the clearing, and for a moment, he was positive he was going to either die or suffer another tirade of platitudes—neither an appealing option. What he wasn't expecting was for Fukusaku to snicker, cough and then start laughing audibly, holding his sides and falling on the ground.

His right eyebrow twitched. "It's not funny! I loved her! I spent every free moment trying to be with her, even if it came at the cost of my health. Then, I'm a bit busier than usual and we have a fight and she…I-I think she couldn't handle how busy I was…" he huffed angrily, glaring at the guffawing toad sage.

It was quite unsettling and insulting to be ridiculed over his most intimate and private failings and woes, damn it! The elder toad controlled himself and wiped tears from his eyes. "And I thought you were looking down at us, thinking you're too good for us. All my anger and preparations of torturing you wasted over some useless teenaged romance?"

"Oi! I told you…I…" Naruto defended himself, feeling outrage well within him. He didn't have much time to feel upset as Fukusaku's foot smashed into his cheek, sending him careening back until he landed with a splash into the icy cold lake water.

He gasped for air while spewing water, shaking his head. "W-what was that for?" Naruto angrily exploded as he climbed out of the lake. He wondered who was crazier—the toad, for beating him up for no apparent reason, or him, for repeatedly summoning him and taking the punishment.

Fukusaku leaped and landed on his head, speaking softly in a bemused manner. "That was to knock some sense into you, boy. Stop moping about like some pussy. Naruto-chan, you're not even fourteen! What do you know about love?"

Naruto glared up at the offending summon and grumbled in a low voice. "I know what I feel…hey, ow! Ow! What the hell?"

He fell to his knees, the fierce series of blows to his noggin driving him to the ground. He tried to grab the toad sage and shrug him off, but the bugger grabbed onto his hair and tugged. "Enough, Naruto-chan! No toad summoner is this pathetic! Where are your guts?"

Naruto eyed him dubiously. "My guts…?"

" Your guts! No, not your intestines, but your heart and courage, my boy! You know what I mean, Naruto-chan! That's why we liked you in the first place! When the world beats you down, you get right up and keep on walking!"

"But I don't want to move on, and it hurts, and I…damn it, you pulled some hairs that time!" He ended his moping with a scream.

"Don't interrupt me! So what if some stuck up little princess dumped you? It's her loss if she can't appreciate how hard you're working! You're a chip off the old block, only better 'cause you've got your mother's eye shape and smile!"

Naruto blanked out slightly, the turn of the conversation become distinctively embarrassing. He blushed a light scarlet and didn't talk anymore, fearing he'd earn another beating.

"So here's how things are going to be from now on. You get off your ass and get your priorities straight! Get back in shape, and stop ignoring us and all your other friends! Or else, next time, I won't hold back when I smack you around, capiche?"

The blond mulled over his words, gulping nervously and nodded. "I-I guess I'll try, but it'll take some time…"

Fukusaku smashed his fist hard on his head. "You're even thicker than Jiraiya-chan was at your age! I meant 'from now on.' I'll be keeping some summons to spy on you, Naruto-chan, just like I did back in the day…and if I hear you're pulling an Uchiha on me, I'll tell Bunta and he'll be the next one to come talk to you…"

Naruto balked at the notion and gulped. _'I guess I have been pretty pathetic. Ino fucked me up good with her stunt but…I've got other things to do with my life and I guess I'll see where every day will take me.'_

He wouldn't forget that there were good times he wanted to cherish which marched hand in hand with the bad times he spent with Ino. But, he wouldn't let her dominate him…destroy him. Too much was on the line—his future, his ambitions and his village. _'Tch, I'll show that miserable bastard, I'm no whiny pussy like he says. I'll show him strength and I'll show him guts! You just wait!'_


End file.
